Ending Regrets
by Hawk Goggles
Summary: Takeru had built up a number regrets in his adventures. However, one seemed to have hit him harder than the rest. He would do anything to make sure something like it would never happen again. Yet, his actions might have set a disaster into motion. Stirring up lingering feelings from the past; can he handle the consequences of his actions. An aggressive divergence begins.
1. Feelings of the Past

**Chapter 1:  
Feelings of the Past  
**

Dark… He couldn't see the world around him. Where was he? An image stood out. A devil and an angel stared intently at one another. They started to disappear in dark purple and light blue bits. The angel started to fade away faster until only the devil was left smiling.

Slowly, focus started to come. The devil flattened out. A screen dimly lit his surroundings. A cell? Yes, the prisoners were being released. Shouldn't he be helping? The boy turned back to the screen. The devil that was within it only had his head left, still smiling. Anger, sadness, and fear swelled inside the boy. He couldn't stand it. Another feeling moved his feet forward, leaving his backpack and hat behind him.

"Where are you going, Takeru?" a younger boy asked. Iori could only look on as his friend started down the dark hallway. Wanting to call out again, he was reminded of the prisoners escaping and was told that Patamon would take care of his friend.

"Takeru, wait!" Patamon chased. "You can do all this settling nonsense later. We have other things to do right now." He couldn't understand what needed to be done so urgently when there were digimon that needed rescue.

Takeru knew what his partner was saying, was right. He should be helping the others, but that didn't _feel_ right. This whole time he had been thinking about protecting his friends. He had left Hikari and Miyako with Daisuke. Thinking they would run into the base in the air, Iori would safely in the water. He didn't even think it could be in the ocean. In the end everything worked out for the best, yet his feet wouldn't stop. He couldn't just keep standing there, waiting for something bad to happen. Something he couldn't do anything about. He _needed_ to act, and the best action would be to end things as quickly as possible and stop the Kaiser himself.

"You've done well to make it this far," an arrogant voice rang in the hall. The Digimon Kaiser appeared out of a doorway with his worm like partner not far behind. He looked down on the boy that dared to trespass in his fortress. "You have earned the pleasure of appearing before one who controls the power of darkness." The boy's glare softened only to scoff at the Kaiser. Seemingly amused that the Kaiser would address himself as such.

"It seems like you are having a lot of fun playing around Ken Ichijouji," Takeru chuckled. "Is taking over the world really that great?"

Not amused by the boy's attitude, Ken snapped the whip in his hands. "When it's mine to take," he snapped back.

Something in Takeru seemed to want to get under the other boy's skin. He could only smirk at the thought. "That, 'power of darkness,' you spoke of, do you even know what that means? You don't, right?" he antagonized.

Ken was taken aback. How dare some nobody brat spit back the same words as that devil in the whirlpool. This world was his. Why couldn't anyone understand that? Ken spat, "and what would you know? You and your stupid friends have just been lucky up till know. You pathetic maggots can't even be compared to me, so you should just stay out of my way."

Takeru could only laugh at the boy before him. To think, they thought the same of each other. "The only pathetic one is you, Ichijouji," He inhaled. Takeru then calmed himself for his next words. His face grew more serious. "You don't understand anything… Don't know anything… This isn't a game! If you keep playing around, you're not just going to end up hurting yourself!" Takeru stared past Ken's shades, and into his eyes. He looked at the small green digimon at the Kaiser's side.

He didn't "understand"? Ken couldn't take that well. He was a genius. He was better than anyone. Better than… "Maggots," he whispered. "Maggots, Maggots, Maggots, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS, MAGGOTS!" Ken could only bark that word louder with each breath until he was gasping for air.

Takeru could see that the Kaiser had just about reach the end of his rope. "Is that really all you can say?" he taunted.

No longer of a fully cognitive mind, Ken could only express his frustration with violence. He pulled back and swung his whip at the boy. It cracked on the boys face, a perfect hit. Patamon and Wormmon stared in shock at what just transpired. Ken could only smile at the thought of putting that maggot in it's place. "That should shut you up," he exhaled.

Something was off. The boys face was turned with his hand cupping the wound. Even from where he was standing, Ken could see Takeru wiping at the blood. What bothered Ken, was the boy's movements. He didn't shake with anger, or cower in fear at the threat of more pain. If the boy's face hadn't moved, he wouldn't have been sure the boy reacted at all. Takeru then turned his eyes on the Kaiser. No tension or sharpness, yet they were looking down on him. Not once had he received such a look after whipping someone.

"Given up on talking?" Takeru wiped the rest of his wound. "That's fine by me. You done?" Ken didn't have any sort of comeback. All he could do was stare at the boy before him who had an uncanny smile on his face. Takeru drew his sharpest glare. "If you are…" Takeru drew his sharpest glare, "then it's my turn." Takeru rushed in and punched the off guarded Kaiser. Ken was laid out on his back with his shades and whip spilled beside him.

Not wasting time, Takeru mounted Ken to keep up the beating. He wouldn't hesitate like his enemy. He pulled back and started punching at Ken's face. An endless back and froth. "You don't _know_ what you're dealing with," right. "I'm not _just_ hitting you cause I'm upset," left. "You _need_ to be stopped," right. "Before you do something you _regret_ ," harder. "Before you do something that can't be _undone_ ," harder. Wanting to deliver the final hit, Takeru pulled back further.

The base suddenly shook violently. It rattled and threw Takeru off balance. Ken took advantage of this to throw the boy off of himself. He scrambled to his fallen whip. "Something that can't be 'undone'?" Ken whipped at the blond who could only hold is arms up in defense. "Quit acting like any of this _matters_ ," left. "This world is just a bunch of _data_ ," right. "It's beings don't really _exist_ ," left. "Of course it can be _undone_ ," faster. "And even it can't, _I don't care_ ," faster. Takeru rose his arm to ensnare the whip. The two boys were forced in a sudden tug of war. "Why do you care so much over nothing but data in a screen?" Ken tugged. Using the force of the tug, Takeru rushed forward forcing Ken off balance. Takeru lunged at the Kaiser.

Once again the two were on the ground. Once again Takeru had the upper hand. He grabbed at the Kaiser's collar. "Because that data is one of my closest friends," Takeru grit. "Even if it doesn't matter, even it can be undone, I'll still care. Those moments… Those feelings…. They won't go away." Takeru pulled back his fist. "So no one has to go through what I did, even for your sake, I'll stop you." About to deliver the finishing blow, Takeru was stopped. A green and orange blast burst through the base. He looked through the hole to see a mix-matched monster. "What?"

Ken could only laugh at the boy. "That's my newly created digimon. You and your maggot friends don't stand a chance," Ken explained. "You might as well give up.

Even with Ken at his mercy, Takeru didn't need to think twice about what to do. He turned to Patamon with his digivice in hand. With a shout and a flash, Pegasusmon, a golden armored horse with wings stood before the two boys. Takeru mounted the steed and took off through the hole made by the blast. "We'll finish this next time Ichijouji," Takeru yelled as they picked up speed. They raced towards the light to help their friends. They braced for the impact the light would have on their eyes.

* * *

It was too bright. The light's heat was too hot. Looking down he could only see a human figure beneath him. Ken sat there with empty arms. That's right, they had just won, and Ken was defeated. The elation of defeating the mixed monster had long worn off. It was now replaced with a bitter taste. Wormmon was, as he himself had said, dead. Takeru couldn't help but look at Ken with empathy. He could only squeeze Patamon tighter in his arms. Ken rose and started to stagger away through the desert as Daisuke called out to the distraught boy. The child of hope could only grit his teeth at the scene before him, irritation building. What was he himself doing?

"Pathetic," Takeru whispered to himself. He dashed towards the leaving boy, ignoring his friends shouts. His digivice flashed and Pegasusmon was behind him. His friends could only look on in confusion. They watched as the two boys conversed. The two stopped moving for a while and just stared at each other. Even from as far back as they were they could tell Takeru had a sour look on his face. He wasn't attacking the boy in any way, so what could he be doing? Suddenly Pegasusmon knelt as Ken started to move towards him. The steed let Ken mount his back and was soon fallowed by his partner. The digimon rose and took off to the sky.

Speechless would be the best way to describe the rest of the chosen children. One of their most calmest members flew off with their just defeated enemy. No on said a word. Their words were either caught in their throats or their mouths were hung open. A beep on broke the silence. Hikari quickly gathered herself to pull out her D-terminal. She looked over the message before reading it out loud for the others. It read, "I'm going to Primary Village. Go home without me and I'll gate back when you get there, Takeru." The others objected to his seemingly selfish actions but Hikari assured them that he had his reasons. She told them to trust Takeru's judgment. The others didn't understand what was going on but they trusted the both of them. They all gathered their things and made their way to a gate, and thought of the best way to explain the situation to their seniors.

The skies were quiet. The only thing that could be heard was the wind and the flapping of wings. Takeru sharply kept his eyes to the front. Ken could sense the boy not wanting to talk. He kept focus on his hold of the flying horse and on what the boy had told him. He focused on Wormmon.

The three flew for a long while. The sand turned to grass, and the grass to forest. Ken looked past the boy to the horizon. He saw what looked like large shapes. The closer they got the more they became defined. It wasn't jut the distance and perspective that made out those basic shapes. They were large building blocks. Squares and triangles were stacked in a multitude of ways. They got closer and the ground tuned to green tiles.

They were now over this giant sized play pin. Ken was too focused on his surroundings to notice a sudden bout of turbulence. The shaking made him focus on the two in control. Before he could ask what was wrong, Pegasusmon glowed and reverted back to Patamon. Before the three truly picked up any downward motion, he could her a very audible and understating, "Ah..." between the two. The froward motion they already had, sent them sailing through the air. Ken's heart leapt to his throat as he was coming closer to the ground beneath them. He could only hold up his arms in protection.

They all crashed into the ground at great speed. Ken braced himself for pain yet it didn't come. He opened his eyes to be surprised that he was once again in the air. Yes, at a much lower altitude, but once again in the air. He dared to look over at the other two who just looked back at him with amusement in their eyes. Again they hit and bounced off the ground this time barely lifting up, but still moving forward. They again touched down and tumbled to a stop.

Takeru got up and patted himself down. He looked at Ken who was gathering himself off the ground. He walked over and gave him a hand. Ken's hand hesitated before grasping the other boys. He scanned the area before motioning for Ken to fallow him. He started making his way up a steep hill with Patamon resting on his head.

Ken fallowed the boy. He gathered his courage to ask what had been on his mind. "Are… are you really going to help me find Wormmon?" he almost pleaded. The other boy just stared back at him with a look he couldn't read.

"I've pretty much done all I can do for you," Takeru kept moving up the hill. He reached the top and waited for his temporary companion. The two looked down at all the eggs littering the land before them. "The rest is up to you," he looked over at the stunned face of the former Kaiser. "When a digimon dies, it's data reforms at primary village." When he was asked which egg would be Wormmon's, he could only shrug. "To be honest, the last time this happened the egg reappeared right in front of me." Ken eye's widened with realization. "Anyway, all that matters is that you are the one that needs to find Wormmon. You don't have all day so I suggest you get started."

Time passed as Takeru watched Ken try to find his lost partner. It didn't help that he was constantly being tackled by infants as he walked by looking at eggs. He didn't even hold his hands up in defense. He was nothing like the Kaiser he knew just earlier that day. He however, knew that the moment he looked into the boys eyes after he was defeated. He had changed; to what, he wasn't sure, but Takeru knew that he couldn't just sit still while Ken anguished over his lost friend. Even if Ken didn't change, he himself couldn't leave Wormmon alone. He'd be out here by himself if he had to. He perked up at the sight of Ken returning with an egg with heart shaped patters. "You find him?" Takeru rose to his feet.

Ken gave the egg in his arms a long, hard look. "Yes," he confirmed with confidence. Ken noticed Takeru relaxed and genuinely smile for the first time in front of him. "Why did you help me? I mean, I..." Ken couldn't get the words out.

"It's nothing special, just pity," Takeru yawned, the day was catching up with him. "I just felt so sorry for you," Takeru gazed at the egg, "and him." Takeru really didn't care where his need to help the boy came from. He wasn't lying when he said it was a bit of pity, but for who exactly, he didn't quite know. When he saw Ken's face while running with the egg he knew it didn't really matter.

Ken couldn't seem to let it just sit with that. "I don't deserve such kindness. You should be as angry as those baby digimon over there," Ken pointed at the disgruntled infants.

"Don't you think you have fought enough today?" Takeru countered. "Personally, I'm kind of wiped out."

"You said that the next time we met, we would finish that fight. So why would you help me?"

"I'm pretty sure we fought and defeated the Digimon Kaiser."

"So I'm not the Kaiser anymore?" Ken was speaking to him self. "Does that really make me better? What if I just become worse than I was before?"

"I'm telling you, I don't care about that," Takeru sighed in frustration. Ken couldn't believe the words coming out of the boys mouth. "I couldn't stand what you did as the Kaiser, and will never forgive those actions. I couldn't help but feel sorrow for the digimon who gave his life for his partner who wasn't there for him anymore. I could only feel pity for that partner that came back only to find out that it was his own fault that his friend had died." Ken was being assaulted with all his actions and crimes he had committed. How could this boy not be hitting him like before.

"Yet those things are in the past, and no matter what I do, I can't do anything about them," Takeru's eyes hardened for a moment. "That digimon has a chance to comeback to someone who truly cares about him. That sad boy who did so much wrong can now only feel regret. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I left you two alone." It wasn't an act of complete kindness. Takeru acted for himself as much as he did for Wormmon and Ken.

"However…" Takeru wasn't finished, "if you do turn out just as bad as you were, or even worse, then I will keep my promise," Takeru gave a wide grin and a wink. "I'll take you down anytime, anywhere," he rose his fist at the boy. Patamon added that he too, would help take down Ken.

Ken was speechless. It wasn't confidence that gave the boy the strength to speak those words, it was resolution. Takeru would take on whatever would come from him. Takeru gave the impression he would fight no matter what came. It was almost scary. He could tell, that strong resolution didn't all come from positive places. Could he too use his awful feelings to push himself forward? He could only feel self destruction awaiting him if he tried. He had thought that Daisuke was an odd one, but this was incomprehensible. Daisuke was stupid enough for his own good. Takeru _knew_ that his actions held consequences, but would fight and help someone anyway. Maybe even both at the same time.

"You're crazy," Ken finally spoke. "To help someone you don't believe in." Takeru's smile never left his face. "I hope for both our sakes, that you made the right choice." Ken left with his egg to return home.

Takeru walked over to where the baby digimon were sitting. They started jumping at him in annoyance. They couldn't believe that he just let the Digimon Kaiser walk away, and with a digiegg no less. Takeru didn't mind the assault. Their soft bodies did nothing but tickle him. "You guys sure are energetic," Takeru plopped down on the soft ground. The baby digimon stopped their, _attack_. Takeru laid back looking up at the sky.

"You can't blame them for being a little mad," Patamon laughed at his partner. He landed on Takeru's stomach. "They can't just forgive him that easily."

"It's not like I forgave him either," Takeru shot back. He looked Patamon in the eyes. "Do you think I did the right thing?"

Patamon knew how much of a loaded question that was. Takeru had been thinking about a lot of things, with dealing with the Kaiser. Facing a human was new for them and they weren't sure how to handle it. All in all, they were really lucky things didn't end up worse. "I don't know about all the complicated stuff but in the end you wanted to help Ken, right? That look he had when he found Wormmon's egg made me know for sure you were doing the right thing. A part of you even wanted to help the Kaiser back the base too."

Takeru looked back up to the sky. If Patamon thought his selfishness was the right thing to do, then it had to be so. He smiled knowing that he didn't have to deal with the Kaiser anymore. How he and the others would deal with Ken Ichijouji could come later. For now he just wanted to rest. He closed his eyes and waited for his well earned rest.

* * *

Why couldn't these digimon give it a rest? They were just trying to fix up the digital world, but someone had to get in the way. A golem was trying to destroy a whole city by breaking a dam. It didn't help that the others couldn't decide whether or not to kill the enemy. Now wasn't the time for hesitation. Hadn't he already decided on what to do a long time ago?

The group's digimon were knocked out during their argument. Now they wouldn't be able to help even if they wanted to. Takeru wouldn't let it end like that. That would be too pathetic. "Patamon, Digivolve!" The small digimon responded by engulfing itself in light. When it faded, there stood a tall white angel.

Everyone was surprised the blond's sudden out burst. Was he going to fight? The look in his eyes showed much more than that. Iori had to say something, "Are you going to destroy him?" The blond didn't give a response and his stare only grew harder. "You can't do that, what gives us the right?" How could his friend do something so cruel?

Takeru paid the others no mind. He focused solely on the enemy before him. "Angemon, attack from above," he ordered. The digimon complied and rose to the sky. It gained the advantage over it's grounded adversary.

Daisuke didn't understand what had came over his friend. He knew that Takeru and the older kids had killed digimon before, and he also knew that Takeru was one of the nicest kids there were. Did he too believe in Ken? He had heard more about how they went to Primary Village to find Wormmon's egg. "Do it Takeru," Daisuke encouraged. He had to believe in his friends.

Again Takeru didn't seem to hear the others. He watched as Angemon dodged flying boulders. "Get your attack ready." Angemon kept dodging as his right hand started to glow. Energy gathering bit by bit.

"Noooo, you can't," Miyako wailed. "He's a living thing, just like us." How could Takeru of all people be doing this? He seemed like he wouldn't even harm a fly. He was one of the people who was furthest from the tyrannical Ken. "Don't tell me you think Ken has changed too. How can you trust him?"

Once more Takeru drowned out his friends words, watching and waiting for the moment to attack. The moment the aggressor fired off a shot that would miss entirely. He saw his path to victory open before him. "There! Angemon move in from the front." The angel dived forward without anything stopping his progress.

Hikari could only watch with wonder. Takeru wasn't one to hide his emotions, even when he wanted to. The person she was looking at was the exact same as the little boy who protected her from Piemon. That boy who couldn't hide his tears back then couldn't hide is frustration and willingness now. Hikari herself didn't want to kill the enemy even though she knew there would be times where she wouldn't have a choice. She didn't know where his resolution came from but she believed in her friend. She knew he would do the right thing nonetheless. "Takeru…"

This on attack would put the monster in it's place. Angemon pulled back his fist. "Aim for the head," Takeru gave the final command. Angemon thrust his hand towards the creature's face.

What happened next was outside of Hikari's expectations. Instead of a beam firing out of his hand, Angemon grabbed tightly, onto the monsters face. The golem lost balance and this gave Angemon enough edge to push it off the dam. They crashed into the ravine below with Angemon not letting go the entire way. Angemon mounted the monster and tighten his grip.

Takeru took that moment's advantage to address his friends. "Believe in Ichijouji? It's got nothing to do with that." Everyone focused on the blond, trying to understand his motives. "The only thing that matters is that we stop the enemy before others get hurt. We can't hesitate. You have to seriously focus on your opponent even if that means putting _i_ _t's_ life on the line."

The others were confused, to say the least. He spoke as if he would kill the enemy, but he wasn't, he was holding him back. His actions and words didn't match up to them. What did he mean by being serious? Hikari was the only one to grasp at what the blond was saying. Being serious didn't have to mean killing the enemy. She smiled at the fact that she could always trust Takeru to think of others.

A cracking noise stole their attention. They all looked to see the golem's face start to crumble away. A hard dark matter seemed to make up his insides. Like the outer layer of the digimon was some kind of fake skin. It was a fake digimon. Is that why Ken had no problem destroying these creatures? Before they could vocalize their thoughts, Angemon gave out a painful yell.

Everyone's eyes turned to the angel. They couldn't see what was wrong but he reverted back to Patamon. Takeru couldn't believe what happened. His eyes traced over the area for any attackers. He saw movement in the bushes but it wasn't an enemy, it was Ichijouji. He knew Ichijouji would help, so he rushed down the ravine to his partner that was left alone in favor of the dam.

He skidded to a stop to pick Patamon up. "I'm sorry Takeru," the small creature apologized. It wasn't his fault. Takeru himself wanted to understand what was going on. He was expecting the monster to talk, not break apart like some moving statue. He looked up at the dam. Hawkmon managed to digivolve to champion somehow and was fighting with Stingmon. Together they managed to save the town.

Everyone was celebrating the victory but Iori. His focus was on the boy at the bottom of the ravine. He couldn't let the look in Takeru's eyes go. They were so intense and angry. Did that digimon upset him that much? It was the same as the time he went off alone in the Kaiser's base. The boy who would seemingly destroy a living being, was the same to rushed down to check on his friend. Those actions didn't match up in Iori's mind. Weren't bad people only just that, bad? Takeru was just as much a mystery as Ken.

Takeru looked down at his partner once again. He thought back on the battle that just transpired. At the start, he too, hesitated like the others. Only when he seemingly shut them out, was he able to take things seriously. It's not like he ignored them completely, he just didn't let his worries about them get in the way of protecting them. He had plan to destroy the monster himself in the end if it came to that. He would have shouldered the responsibility by himself if Angemon hadn't dedigivolved. He patted Patamon's fur and stopped when he felt something odd.

Takeru pulled at the fur and something came up. Was Patamon shedding? He didn't remember his partner doing that before. He looked at the fur closer until he noticed it had a different color. It wasn't orange or cream colored, it was silver. What did it mean? Could this hair have attacked Angemon? Thinking back at all the digimon he had met, it wasn't out of the question. It would also explain why he dedigivolved. He looked harder at the hair and remembered what Palmon had said before he jumped down. That mysterious woman controlled hair. Who was she, really?

* * *

Takeru really couldn't care less about who this silver haired digimon was anymore. Created to destroy the digital world? It didn't help that she didn't answer any of their questions. It also didn't help that his friends were having the same problem yet again. He remembered what happened last time. They didn't bring it up, but he knew it bothered them. While they were still talking he dedigivolved Pegasusmon.

"Then please let me do it? That way you won't have to dirty your hands," Ken spoke up. He was the one who created the towers that Arukenimon turned into digimon. He would be the one to carry out the burden of killing someone.

"That doesn't make you sound cool, you know," Takeru gabbed the attention. "How about we find a way to restrain her? That way we can get some real answers out of her." The others could agree with that.

"Foolish," Arukenimon taunted. "It's that tenderheartedness that will be your undoing. DIE!" She fired her Spider Thread at the children. Paildramon intercepted the attack and brushed it off. The children couldn't stand this monster who wouldn't stay down, yet most didn't have it in them to kill it either.

"Well that's a shame," Takeru smirked, "and I really liked my idea. Didn't you, Angemon?" Angemon came from behind Arukenimon and grabbed at her neck. He forced her face down to the wooden floor and called for Paildramon to tie her up with it's claws, perfect. "How about I play the bad guy today, Ichijouji?" Takeru kept his smile as he made his was towards the spider woman.

The rest of the group were again puzzled by their friend's aggressive behavior. Would this be the same as with that golem monster? Iori and Miyako wanted Arukenimon stopped but they didn't want her killed. Daisuke trusted Ken, who was willing to kill the spider digimon, and he was willing to fallow his partner's lead. Hikari still trusted Takeru, even if he was acting a bit too antagonistic for her liking at the moment. Things need to be done. What truly bothered her was the boy's light attitude to the situation.

The only one who had the best idea of what was about to happen was Ken. The way he _asked_ to play the "bad guy" brought up a memory he'd rather forget. Would Takeru really taunt Arukenimon as if she were the Kaiser? It was crazy, even if she was restrained. Daisuke had told him about the fight at the dam before his arrival. The others had only seen half of what Takeru was like when he was upset. Ken felt that _he_ hadn't even seen what the blond could really be like, especially for someone he would willing killing.

Arukenimon couldn't believe she was taken off guard. She had noticed that the little pig dedigivolve, but not when he had got behind her. Had those kids planed this far ahead? No, the blond seemed to be acting on his own. Not to mention that he had the gall to walk towards her. A mere human would try and intimidate her? What kind of bad joke was this? He'd better not think he would get anything out of her just because she was tied up for the moment. She just had to buy time.

Arukenimon gazed up at the blue eyed boy looking down on her. They longer helding that slightly teasing expression. She didn't think a human's eye could get that sharp.

"How about you really start talking to us and we don't have to do anything drastic." Takeru proposed with a light smile. He needed to hold himself back for his friend's shake. Unlike the time with Ichijouji, he held an advantage. He would try to mostly use that instead of just taunting the monster.

"You brats don't have it in you to do me in," Arukenimon spat back. Who did this kid think he was? He was in no position to be demanding things from her. He was just a brat who couldn't finish off an enemy. She would show him not to mess with her. "Acid-," her attack was cut short with her face quickly coming in contact with the wooden floor. The hand around her neck tightened and she felt a foot push down on her head. That didn't compare to the backlash from her own attack. It seared at the wood and caused her senses to go into over drive. Her eyes watered, her nose ran with mucus and she couldn't help but drool. It's as if she was hit with pepper spray. She was sent into a fit of coughing and sneezing.

Takeru's plan of holding himself back was abruptly cut short as he pulled his foot back from atop the arachnid's head. He pulled at her hair to lift her face up. It was a mess; "disgusting," he muttered, letting her go. "Look we both know you're not that strong. If you were, then you wouldn't have to set up all these traps, or fight us with artificial digimon." Takeru didn't know if his emotional attack was working but it made him feel better, so he kept it up. "Or could it be that you don't know anything at all?" He had set out some bait. "I mean, a being of destruction would focus on just that, wouldn't they? Yet you seem to keep coming after us. Just destroy something far away form us and run off like the little pest that you are."

Arukenimon's mind was a mess. The acid distracted her mind, and the boys words angered her soul. Had he really figured her out? She had to buy more time. She could only say the first thing that came to mind. "I'm not a bug," She glared up at the boy.

"I didn't call you one," Takeru chuckled. He crouched down closer to her level. He smiled, "don't get me wrong, it's not like I'll beat the information out of you." His mouth relaxed and his eyes glared, "I will however, kill you if you don't" He finally gave a genuine grin and offered his hand, "That's why I'd be grateful if you accepted my offer. Even if you honestly tell me that you don't know anything, I promise to still let you go."

The rest of the group was as quiet as a mouse. Human and digimon alike couldn't make a single noise. This was something completely different from what they were used to. They all felt the tense atmosphere weigh them down. What would their enemy choose to do; more importantly, would their friend keep his promise?

Petrified wasn't even a good enough word to describe Arukenimon. In just a few words this boy had asserted himself as the superior in this situation. She had never felt being at a greater disadvantage. He was in a position to keep his word, both of them. Yet what bothered her the most was his face. A smile and a hand promising her salvation, and eyes that would readily watch her destruction if she declined. She'd lost the battle long ago but only now did she fell defeated. "I..."She began.

"I think it's about time we played a different game," a mysterious voice called out. Everyone turned to see a figure dressed in blue on the closet chair.

"Mummymon…" Arukenimon whispered.

Not taking any time explain himself, Mummymon transformed into his namesake. He rose his rifle and fired at Paildramon making him lose his grip on Arukenimon and the ground beneath him. The other digimon charged at their new foe only to be wrapped in his bandages. He noticed that the angel hadn't moved and inch, still holding on to Arukenimon. Why hadn't she escaped?

Mummymon pointed his rifle at the blond boy next to his comrade, "let her go." The boy just shook his head. He shot at the floor in front of the boy, "that wasn't a question."

"How about you come get her, and leave?" Takeru asked. They were at the disadvantage with Paildramon stunned and the rest down for the count. He needed to keep what ever advantage he had. He couldn't let Arukenimon go off on her own. She seemed like she couldn't fight anymore but he need to play it safe and keep the two monsters together. That way he and his friends wouldn't be surrounded.

"You aren't in the position to be making demands," Mummymon fired his rifle again, this time at the boy's leg. What he didn't expect was for his target to be replaced with another. His shot hit one of Arukenimon's many legs and she wailed in pain. "You monster!" He couldn't believe such cruelty could come from a child.

"I'm just protecting myself. Your friend tried the same thing and it didn't work out for her either, so don't feel too bad about it." Takeru had to start taking more drastic measures to speed things up. He had to play the situation well with the cards he had. "I'll make this clear, Arukenimon is too dangerous to keep around. Seeing that she has a friend makes things even worse. I should just go ahead and destroy her so we don't have two monster makers on our hands."

"Don't you dare!" Mummymon yelled. "She is the only one who can even make digimon from dark towers. I'm just the muscle." Mummymon had to make sure Arukenimon got out okay. He couldn't bare it if she got hurt anymore than she already had.

Lucky! Takeru didn't think the mummy would unravel that easily. He must of had wrappings in his head instead of brains. Now all he needed to do was get them to leave without realizing their advantage. "Well I guess you should come get her and leave before one of us kills her," Takeru pushed.

Mummymon didn't know why this was so hard. He just had to run down there, get Arukenimon, and leave. He also knew that if he ran away like that, she would be mad at him. A mad Arukenimon wasn't bad, but one that praised him was better. He had to take a chance. "How about you let her go and I don't zap your friends," The mummy lied. Once he had Arukenimon back, the two would kill those horrible kids.

The rest of the children gasped at the threat. They all called out for their digimon to dedigivolve. Daisuke yelled for Paildramon to get up. This was the worst outcome. Even if they did dedigivolve they would still be covered in bandages. Mummymon would shoot at the slightest movement, so they wouldn't be able to untangle themselves in time and escape.

"I'll give you to the count of ten to let her go," Mummymon ordered. He rose his rifle at the bandaged digimon. "Or you could just let her go now?"

Ken couldn't help but feel this was all his fault as he heard his friends yell for their digimon. He looked over at Takeru, who's face was just as distressed as everyone else. The yells from his friends and their partners seemed to be taking a toll on the blond's conscience as well.

Ken looked closer at Takeru because he seemed to have noticed something in that distress. Takeru turned to his left to face his partner. Ken couldn't see his face but he noticed that Takeru turned his neck and body just a little bit too much just to look at someone. The blond chosen was discreetly glancing at something behind him. Ken too turned his gaze, to his left. It was Paildramon; he was waking up. This was there chance, if Takeru took out Arukenimon, then it would be a two on one fight in their favor.

Ken looked over his partner and was hit with a deep realization. Paildramon wasn't in any condition to fight. He had about one more attack in him. Takeru seemed to have noticed as well. Ken racked his brain for a solution. He just had to tap into the genius he once had.

Like a bolt of lighting Ken was struck with inspiration. "Paildramon, you need to get up and protect the others," he called out. He looked over to Daisuke to prompt him to yell the same. He just hopped Takeru would catch on as well.

"That useless digimon can't help you," Mummymon laughed. He looked over to Takeru, "Or your friend." He started his count…

10…

Takeru had to think fast. He couldn't just let Arukenimon go. They would gang up on them if he did. He couldn't just kill her either because even if Paildramon got up he wouldn't last, and the rest of the digimon were spent too.

9…

The yelling didn't help at all. Conflicting cries of, "don't worry". Yells to, "get up". Screams of, "protecting everyone…" That was it! He had to take a chance.

8…

"Aren't you counting a bit too slowly?" Takeru bluffed. "Count as much as you want but your friend is dying before you reach zero." Takeru bluffed like he never bluffed before.

5…

Mummymon was stunned. He couldn't believe the situation he was in. The boy had took the count-down as his own. Arukenimon had always described the children as babies who had too much power to know what to do with, spineless brats. Yet here was a "brat" that just had a champion, and yet he had taken control of the whole situation. He wanted to run and rescue Arukenimon this very moment. To take her as far away from that small, blue eyed demon as quickly as he could. Yet he knew that the boy wouldn't risk his friend's partners. He just need to call the boy out on his bluff.

4…

Angemon's grip tightened and started to glow.

3…

Mummymon rifle shook in suspense.

2…

The other children had their voices taken away except for Ken. They didn't know how to process what was happening. Again their blond friend was acting in a way that betrayed his character. The way he spoke to Arukenimon was off putting, but now betting the lives of their partners was too much to take in. What could be running through his mind?

1…

Arukenimon was also at the end of her rope. The angel's grip just kept getting tighter as the time decreased. She couldn't even breath anymore. To think, she would be deleted before killing those brats. She wondered if she would reform into a digiegg after having her throat crushed.

"Z-," Takeru was stopped as the mummy's rifle shot a blue stream of energy into the air. He looked close at his adversary, not letting up his act in the slightest.

"I give," Mummymon rose his other hand in the air with his weapon. "I'm coming over now," Mummymon trudged over with his arms still up and tears in his eyes.

How could all of this have happened? Only that thought could replay in Mummymon's mind. He was now in front of the boy looking down into his blue eyes. Those eyes told no lies. Once the boy had reached zero, Arukenimon would have been killed. He had come to realize that killing her wasn't the bluff. It was the boy's feelings about it that were. The boy's will, hid his fear of the digimon being killed. The blond's eyes made sure that the only thing felt by Mummymon was the intention to kill Arukenimon. Mummymon accepted his loss.

Angemon released Arukenimon and she fell onto the mummy. He gingerly picked her up and turned away for him and his partner. Mummymon gave on last teary backwards glance at the boy and dashed out of the house though the back. Angemon let out a sigh of relief and dedigivolved back to Patamon. He landed on his partner's head who also let out a huge sigh.

"That was too close," Takeru relaxed. He didn't think he would make a mummy cry today. He made his way to the digimon and helped them get the bandaging off. They had reverted to their smaller forms but they were still covered from head to toe in wrappings. The others came over as well. He looked at Ken who was now carrying Leafmon. "Thanks for the support," he smiled.

Daisuke was confused. A lot of things had just happened that he couldn't really understand, but he got that everything worked out alright. That said, how had Ken helped out in that crazy situation? "What do you me?" he asked.

"He means when we yelled for Paildramon to protect everyone," Ken explained. "That way he didn't have to worry about the others getting hurt and we could take the advantage." Daisuke made a face that showed he still didn't get all of it. "But I wonder why you didn't destroy Arukenimon when you noticed?" Ken asked for his DNA partner's sake.

"Well, Paildramon didn't look like he was up for another fight and Angemon can't really handle a full powered ultimate," Takeru got up. "Also…" he looked away a little embarrassed. "I did promise I'd let her go if we got any information. Mummymon gave us enough so it was fine to let her escape."

"Jeez, you had me going there!" Miyako exclaimed as he hugged Hawkmon. "You were so scary back there. So much for 'playing the bad guy'. I knew you were a big softy on the inside." She patted at the younger blond's back in relief.

"I think he did a good job acting," Hikari added. To an untrained ear, it would sound like she praised Takeru's actions. Yet, the look on her face as she tended to Tailmon showed something else.

Iori was the only one left in silence as he picked up Armadillomon. He once again thought over his blond friends actions. He thought over once again how his friend could have that look on his face. Once again, thought about how quickly it could change.

Iori looked over his friends to see if they had noticed the same thing. Daisuke had a look of complacency on his face. Most likely thinking of how they _won_ over Arukenimon. Miyako was ranting about them coming into the trap in the first place. They really hadn't learned anything that could help them in the long run and the risk wasn't worth the danger. Hikari kept her eyes on Tailmon but he could tell her focus was elsewhere. Most likely on Takeru, seeing as those two seemed to be close, even back in their first adventure. Finally, Ken kept a close grip on Leafmon. How had he and Takeru pick up on the same things in that commotion?

Iori couldn't help but notice the similarities between the two. By the two of them, he really meant Takeru and the Kaiser. They seemed ruthless and didn't shy away from harming their enemy in anyway. Iori didn't want to hurt anyone more than needed, so killing was completely out of the question. Yet that wasn't what bothered him the most. Even if their actions seemed to be the same, how they did it was different. The Kaiser didn't seem to care about who he was hurting but Takeru seemed to be over flowing with feelings when fighting. How could someone who cared so much still be able to willingly take a life.

Takeru looked around at his companions. He could see that they were stressed. How could they not be. A new enemy appeared while the old one wasn't even taken care of. He closed his eyes and rubbed at his face. Mummymon's teary eyes still on his mind. Had he gone too far? No, he hadn't, he didn't have a choice. Once again, he wasn't able to settle things. Maybe if Patamon could digivolve to ultimate again….

Even with his eyes still closed, Takeru perked at the sound of his friends calling out to him. He wondered how long he could keep up this strained relationship with them. It always seemed like his actions would mess things up with them. He felt that it wasn't far off, that he would scare them away. However, their shouting made him feel like that time was further than he thought it was.

* * *

The yelling got louder, yet his friends seemed farther away. Takeru strained to open his eyes. He was laying face down on the ground. How had he gotten there? He looked over to see MagnaAngemon fighting off BlackWarGerymon in a futile battle. He managed to turn his head to see the Holy Stone on his other side. That's right, he ended up this way because MagnaAngemon was being forced back. He hand ran out with his digivice in hand in some inane attempt to stop the dragon-man. The light from the device did stop the attack but after that, the beast regained it's bearings it swiped him into the stone. He could feel the shallow cuts on his chest sting as blood started to gather at the ground.

MagnaAngemon wasn't doing much better. Even digivolved, he didn't seem to be fighting on equal grounds. He was doing slightly better than the others had done. Whether if it was because of the stone or his type, it didn't matter because it still wasn't enough. The gate of destiny was destroyed and he didn't have any other tricks up his sleeves. It didn't help that the others tired themselves out fighting Arukenimon and Mummymon, and had dedigivolved. He just counted himself lucky that those two were also to tired to fight.

Takeru could only anguish as he realized that he still wasn't able to do anything. He was once again, powerless to stop another catastrophe. Hadn't he be trying hard to make sure something like this wouldn't happen? So even if this did happen, he would be able to do something about it? Had his efforts been in vain? He griped at the ground beneath him and pushed himself to his knees, his hands still holding the ground for support. Even if it was worthless, he wouldn't give up until the end. He would regret it forever if he gave up.

 _Oh, so you want to keep fighting, even like that?_

What? Who's voice was that? Takeru could still hear his friends yelling for him to move, yet that odd voice over took all of them.

 _Why try so hard, boy; isn't this a pretty futile battle?_

That didn't matter. He couldn't give up when he could still fight. He couldn't give up when MagnaAngemon was still fighting.

 _So you want the power to destroy your enemies?_

No... It may seem that way but that was just means to and end. If he could handle things differently he would take it, but he also wouldn't shy away from what needed to be done.

 _So it's the power to protect?_

That still felt wrong. That wasn't enough sometimes. He had protected his friends before but look at where they were know. He didn't regret what he did but he felt he needed _more_ than that.

 _More?_

He didn't want to regret anything anymore.

 _You're wishing for the impossible._

He knew it was. If he was anything he was realistic, a life without regret was impossible. That wasn't something he'd ever wish for. It was something to live by. Something spurred by events long ago. He just couldn't give in. Just like how the Angel never gave into the devil.

 _So, that's the image that motivates you?_

Takeru couldn't seem to think anymore. It seemed the stress had gotten to him and his mind was trying to figure out how he had gotten to this point. He thought he had already made peace with his way of life. Did he push too far, or was his will weaker than he thought? Was he too weak for this aggressive life style?

 _You are anything but weak, boy. You have earned the right to power. Touch your hand to the stone._

Takeru was shocked to say the least. He had been talking to the stone this entire time, and in his mind no less. Yet he was weary. He had never just been given power before. He had always had to earn it in some way. He looked towards MagnaAngemon as the only example of power just seeming to fall upon him.

 _Don't worry, all power come with a price, but regret it later._

Takeru could only marvel at the stone. It gave such an untrustworthy line. He couldn't help but chuckle. It was right. He pushed himself to face the stone while now resting on his knee. He straightened out his back and placed his left hand upon the stone. It glowed with it's brightest light yet. Everyone had to cover their eyes from the strain it put on them. The only one who looked into the intense brightness was Takeru. Whatever this was, he needed to face it head on. He would, "regret it later".

 **An: A new story focusing on my favorite character! Takeru is really interesting in that 02 doesn't really explore him. I could say the same for Hikari but even she had some character development on her own. When it came to Takeru, only vague hints were given.**

 **I don't buy into most of the Darkeru stuff, but I do find that more aggressive aspect the most interesting. I don't see Takeru as hiding his emotions if you can tell from my past story, so I have to write in a way where the other parts come out naturally. I worry that I might make him too aggressive but this is supposed to be building up, so I think it's fine in the end. Speaking of the build up; while not completely rushed, the story is just kind of laid out there. I didn't want to rewrite the whole season for this story so I had to write just the necessities. It was suppose to give a dream like aspect but I ended up writing for the other characters so….**

 **I'm now putting more effort into the other characters even if in the long run they're playing off of Takeru. I don't think I'm that good at writing the 02 characters other than Ken. For characters with such strong _character traits,_ I think their actual _character_ is rather weak, but that's more of a problem I have with the show's writing. To be honest I don't even like how Ken was handled but now I'm just complaining. **

**In all honesty this story is something to clear my head for a retelling I want to write for adventure. Throw out as many ideas I don't need here. Yet the story it self was something I wanted to write as well. The original idea just became to large and different, that these parts just had to be cut off, but there is more than enough here for a small story.**

 **Now about the writing style. I didn't think I'd be a person to mix and match the English and Japanese terms, yet here I am. Japanese names, English levels, don't get me started on the digimon. I'd like to say I'm picking what's best, but it's really what ever comes to mind first. This story is going to be really loose so….**

 **Now that I've rambled on long enough, all I can say is look forward to the rest of the story. Review if you can and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please look forward to a very aggressive, Takeru centric plot.**


	2. Heartfelt Actions

**Chapter 2:  
Heartfelt Actions**

Sharp white covered his vision. Not a sound could be heard. He couldn't seem to feel the ground beneath him or gain any sense of direction. He felt upright yet also upside down as well. Oddly enough he could still tell his left from his right. The sharp white that stung as if looking into the sun, encompassed the entire area and forced his eyes shut. Takeru gave up trying to see the world around him. He only took solace in that he hadn't seem to have gone blind. At least not yet.

He had closed his eyes and couldn't make out any sounds, yet he could feel a faint presence. The more he felt it out, the larger the feeling became. He dared to open his eyes once more and was greeted with a massive shadow. It's drastic contrast to the blinding area around him caught his attention. It swirled as if forming a portal. As he looked closer, he could make out the shapes of eyes. Eight pairs of eyes stared at him from the shadows, each one as red as blood. The shadow started to break apart into four sections, each taking the shape of a colossal beast with four red eyes.

Before Takeru could get his thoughts together, the shadows started to grow in size. The white light had kept him from getting a grasp on the size of the space he was in, but the monster's initial scale had put everything in place. The fact that they kept growing gave him the full scope the endless void he had found himself in. However, even in that ridiculously large area, the shadows over took everything around them. The darkness ate away at even the furthest of white. The only thing left were their glowing eyes that surrounded him. Those too, soon closed and Takeru was left alone in their darkness.

Takeru had also been overcome by the shadows in both body and spirit. His body seemingly losing feeling along with his sight. Even though he had lost both senses, he called out for the first time to the set of eyes that had vanished, believing them to still be there. He then realized that his voice too, was gone. Had he become mute, or maybe even deaf? Most likely both, yet that wouldn't stop him, he dusted off his spirit and used that to call out to the shadowy monsters. He could barely feel it but he reached out and shouted to, what he hoped, had called out to it.

 _I've helped as much as I could. Anymore would be dangerous, so heed my strikes, and please… leave._

The voice rang out in his mind, but Takeru didn't have time to differentiate that from actually hearing a voice with his ears. Like a bolt of lighting striking the earth, feeling came back to his body. His nerves went into over drive as pain shot through his body. Every movement, every twitch was agonizing. His body's reactions to the pain didn't help and just caused him to thrash more in an endless cycle of electrocution. He couldn't even focus on the set of red eyes looking down on him.

He kept it together as best as he could, he couldn't let this get in the way. If this being really wanted to help, it would take this chance like he was. He called out once more.

 _Humans can't handle such power. Burn and be gone, before you completely lose yourself._

A different voice, a different pair of red eyes, a new kind of pain. Takeru's skin felt as if it was on fire. Heat came off his body in endless waves. He could almost feel the heat turn cold, if it would have stayed long enough. The burning matched the rhythm his erratic breathing. This only became worse with the constant shocks to his system. It became an irregular pace that one couldn't get used too.

Takeru grit his teeth, to stay firm. His lack of power was the reason he was here. He didn't care how much, he just needed it. The pain was getting out of control, however he wouldn't be stopped. He reached out again.

 _You know not, of the true darkness of this world. For your sake… allow me to sink you on to the correct path._

A new set of eyes; once again a completely different experience was felt. An immense weight had been placed on his chest. As if sinking into the sea, he could feel the area itself moving away from him. The many eyes grew smaller. It was then that Takeru realized he was being pushed out.

He kept focus on the beings above. Was this too, not the voice that called to him? He wouldn't go back empty handed. Even if he had to be consumed by this "darkness". He reached his hand out again, shouting with what seemed to be the last of his strength.

 _Truly, an incredible spirit. If you don't want to be forced out, then let it roar louder than mine._

The final voice echoed the loudest. It's eyes, the sharpest. As said, it shook Takeru to his very core, cutting through the intense pressure he was already feeling. His body became as stiff as the hardest metal, no longer able to move. Once again, no longer able to feel. He had completely lost his body to these four. He could only sink further away from his supposed goal. The feeling of losing hurt and weighed more than anything the beings had done to him. He almost couldn't take it.

A small part of Takeru wanted to be sent away as well. He wanted to escape. However, he had long ago decided that giving up wasn't an option.

He was lucky in the fact that this was an attack on his spirit rather than his body. Losing meant being pushed out and not gaining anything. The perfect scenario for giving up. A situation where one only lost if they gave in to there opponent. Takeru didn't want to lose, so he naturally held on despite his body seemingly abandoning him in every way.

That felling however, wasn't what made him go that far. It was the last words given to him. All of the past voices had hints of the one that called out to him, but it came out the loudest in the last beast. It praised him and wanted to see his best. He just had to give it his best reply before he exhausted his spirit. Before he was forced out of the area or be consumed by it's darkness forever, whatever came first.

Takeru dug deeper than he ever had before. He focused solely on himself. He shut himself off from the creatures around him. He gathered up every bit of his feelings. Tempered his will to it's hardest.

The boy gave the four beings a little shock. Even without fully expressing himself, he was shaking off their attacks. As they tired to work together and push the boy away from a power that didn't need to be touched, the more he resisted, the more the boy struggled.

Takeru could feel the four beasts starting to truly work together, so he decided now was the time for his action as well. His spirit roared and shook the space to it's core.

What happened next caught the four beings completely off guard. They expected a large burst of feelings, light, or even darkness. They thought they would be blown away. What they were greeted with captured their souls.

Takeru didn't brush off the attack on his body. His muscles felt like hunks of metal yet he still managed to move. In spite of the shocks to his nerves, he moved with conviction. The burning increased along with his focus. Despite the weight on his lungs his inaudible yell echoed through out the area.

As if in response to the boy's will, the shadows started to gather to his form just as the attacks had done before. Takeru's body was covered in the darkness of the beasts and the area was once again overcome by a bright white. Again, it couldn't be seen through, for it was the light of the area itself.

Takeru was yet to be finished. He stilled himself and the light started to warp as well. It however, gathered within his person. Takeru took on both the darkness the monsters had brought and the light of this area with just his own will. The area that he was just being pushed out of was centering on his very person. With it's light gone, the area was within it's own darkness hidden behind it. Once again red eyes shown through along with a new pair of white.

The beings were frozen in anticipation. In the beginning, the boy had landed just within the Holy Stone. A piece that held the digital world in balance. One piece, connected to a grater power. The longer he stayed the greater the chance he could take more power from the stone. The longer he stayed, the closer he would get to the _world's_ true power. They pushed, to keep him from taking all of the stone's power, yet this was unbelievable. This went well beyond any holy stone any of them had created. This human boy couldn't possibly be thinking of controlling the whole _world_ with just his body and spirit alone, could he?

Many things flashed through Takeru's mind. He could feel the emotions of the monsters around him. Absorbing their darkness had formed a connection with each of them. Their pasts, where too long to sift through. It was incomprehensible to him as it was moving too fast for him to keep up. Yet, the impression that was the strongest, was the bond that tied them all together. It spoke out to him and he answered back. He had finally gotten what was promised to him and made a promise in return.

For being just a pair of floating eyes, Takeru held the very attention of the _world_ on his person. As a show of fortitude he released the light and the darkness back to the ones they belonged to Once again he roared to the area around him. The sound echoed in the hearts of the beasts as they were over come with a golden light. They quickly shut their eyes, however it was over as soon as it started.

The beasts opened their eyes to the world around them. The drastic change caught them by surprise. The light had been broken up and spread apart. It was as if they were standing in the night sky with the stars themselves. They frantically searched for the boy but he was nowhere to be seen. While the boy may have vanished, what caught their eyes next were their own forms. The area originally had been covered in a blinding light that over took one's sight along with it's own darkness. Only a strong outside darkness could be perceived, yet there they where, alit in all their colorful glory.

The beasts stood stupefied. They thought the boy had just came for the power of the single Holy Stone, but what he might have took would be even more dangerous. The connection he made with them, the golden light, and the state of the area, it leads to only one conclusion. Yet, the space was still intact. Had the boy really tapped into the _world_ _'s_ power? The only thing certain was that this Holy Stone was now under the boy's control.

Whether all of this was a good or bad outcome was unknown. The beasts could only watch and wait. They would each act in their own way when the time called for it. They each left the newly changed space. Leaving behind the stars that twinkled with reds, whites, greens, and blues.

* * *

The light that blinded everyone on the mountain quickly died out. What felt like minutes to anyone in the vicinity were only seconds to the rest of the world. The children unshielded their eyes to look for their friend who was in the center of the flash. The stone obscured most their vision. The only one from their group that could get a look was Iori, but he could only see that the blond was now able stand. He noticed his friend still seemed to be touching the stone.

Mummymon and Arukenimon who had long stopped fighting, also stared at the boy. What could he have done to stone? Looking closer, something caught their eye.

BlackWarGreymon was more than tired of all the interruptions keeping him from destroying the holy stone. These little skirmishes weren't what he was looking for. All of the current enemies were either not worthy of his time, or had already been defeated. He hadn't thought anything of the children that accompanied the digimon he had continuously beaten. They weren't fighters, yet that boy ran up to stop him with the strange device that gave their digimon the power to digivolve.

"Out of the way, if you don't want to be destroyed with the stone," the dragon-man warned. The boy moved for the first time since the light dimmed. The blond looked over his shoulder and gained the interest of the black warrior. Sharp eyes stared back. The pupils became thin, like that of a beast. That look, it was something he'd never seen before. No… the boy showed that same look when he rushed him earlier, even with his regular eyes. The same feeling the angel gave off in their struggle.

It was as if a blade was being held to his throat. It was something he wasn't used to. The other digimon he had fought were either without their own will or just didn't seem to possess it. It gave a feeling of unease. The one in front of him wasn't something to be feared yet he dreaded to move.

Takeru turned back to the stone and closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. His head was still a little fuzzy after what he just experienced. Yet he noticed that his cuts seemed to have been healed. He looked at his left arm that now had a golden bangle around it. Looking up at the stone, it had lost it's golden ring. Was this a present for working so hard… or a contract to remind him of what needed to be done? He looked over to his digivice that was in his other hand. The screen shown with the same blue as the stone. Odd, to say the least.

Now, with his mind slightly more clear, Takeru turned to face the armored dragon-man. BlackWarGreymon wasn't the only one on his radar. He also found MagnaAngemon back on his feet, giving him a look of worry behind his mask. He was thankful for the worry but he gave his partner a look that told him to think about it later.

The two of them turned their focus back on BlackWarGreymon. "Sorry about all that. How about we pick up where we left off?" Takeru started. "I believe we were going to kill you."

"I have no more patience for your futile attempts of trying to stop me," BlackWarGreymon rose his claw. "No matter how much power you get from that stone, I wont be stopped," he pointed to the boys wrist.

"I wonder about that." Takeru rose his digivice to the stone. The screen filled with a golden light that shot out to the stone, and the stone shone with the same golden light. Unlike everything before this, the light from the stone was focused and guided. It beamed towards the sky, and it rose far beyond anyone could see. The sky suddenly grew dark, as if to let the light shine brighter. Just as sudden, another pillar shot down and covered MagnaAngemon. He absorbed the golden light and his purple armor radiated with a golden shine. Two extra transparent golden wings seemed to have fit themselves on his back.

"It looks like it _was_ too much to hope that you would get to Mega," Takeru examined. MagnaAngemon got into a stance ready to face off once again.

"Even with that little device and the stone, you still couldn't reach my level," BlackWarGreymon rushed at the angel and swung his left claws down. They were met with his opponent's shield and all three blades snapped off. They all flied in different directions with one landing in front of the blond smirking boy. He backed off and dropped his left Dremon Destroyer on the ground, no longer needing it.

The dragon-man rose to the still darkened sky. He was going to put an end to this, in one shot. The boy couldn't get in his way like last time. He gathered the energy around him into a super heated orb. It shone a dark red and quickly expanded in size. It had become as big as the stone and it kept growing. It needed to keep growing. It had to be the biggest one he had ever made.

Takeru wouldn't let this chance slip away. His connection with MagnaAngemon was stronger than it had ever been. Like how a digimon immediately knew it's attacks when it digivolved, he knew what attack to use in a moment like this. It had been prepared far longer than his enemy's. The sky hadn't darkened, like that of the coming night. It was full of dark clouds that started to rumble.

Takeru and MagnaAngemon synchronized their movements down to their breathing. They brought their right arms to the air. Lighting sparked across the clouds. With one swift motion, they brought their arms down pointing at the large mass of energy. Their cry drowned out by the thunder clap, "Hallowed Ascension!"

BlackWarGreymon's attack was assaulted with lighting. The flow of electricity found it's way to the dragon-man's own body. It yelled out in pain, yet it didn't let go of it's attack. It strained but it still gained more energy and grew. Not able to take anymore, the orb was thrown towards the stone, ready to destroy anything in it's way. "Terra Destroyer!" he roared over the chaos.

Time slowed for everyone watching. As the orb of energy made it's way to the ground, the lighting never let up. It kept a tight hold on the ball, almost seeming to slow it's decent. As much as it tried to pull away, the ball of energy couldn't get out of the lighting's grip. Too much to take, the orb exploded just before reaching the ground. The kick back blasted away all the clouds that once covered the now sunset sky. If everyone hadn't braced themselves, they would have been blown back like the dust that now surrounded them.

The quiet, the explosion brought gave almost everyone time to think things over. What kind of fight was this? The newer kids hadn't seen much of this. The only time things got this heated was their last fight with the Kaiser. That time all of them were still a safe distance away from the actual fighting. Takeru was right in the middle of it, with Iori close by.

Arukenimon and Mummymon were surprised that an ultimate could fight on the same level as BlackWarGreymon. The boy had done something to his little pet digimon. They needed to do something about this or the holy stone would stay intact and they would be out of their strongest asset.

Iori watched the destruction around him. Some of the mountain had become a bit unstable. Rocks started to crumble off the outer surface. He needed to get to the others. He had already gotten Armadillomon so he only needed to run. The only problem was that he couldn't make anything out through the dust. It didn't help that his legs were also stiff. The cry of, "Dramon Destroyer," also didn't help matters.

The attack was used to clear the dust around the Holy Stone. The blond and angle were nowhere to be seen. The dark warrior listened, to key in on his adversaries. The sounds of crumbling rocks and chattering humans interfered but he could still pick up light foot steps near by. He swung his claw to his right side and it's back came in contact with a golden beam saber. A scraping noise came from his back so he pivoted his foot to swing with his left arm, while still parrying with his right. He caught a glimpse of a figure and it caused his hand to unsteady. The shadow ducked under his left fist and then something sharp came in contact with his right shoulder. MagnaAngemon took this opportunity to throw his opponent further from the stone.

After sliding to a stop the dragon-man examined the extreme pain at his shoulder. It was one of his broken claws. To be even more exact, it was the one that landed in front of the boy. It was clever of the boy to us his own weapon against him. He was amused by the irony of his own weapons being extremely effective against himself. He took hold of the protruding claw and with a flash of red it dissolved into digital matter.

Iori was surprised that Takeru himself would attack the Mega level digimon. He may have used it's own claw as a weapon, but it was still reckless. Something he didn't associate with the boy. As much as he wanted to argue about it, it had worked. The attack was the perfect distraction for them, and he was being lead by him to their friends.

BlackWarGreymon caught sight of the boys running off. His eyes fallowed the one who had stabbed him. He was the one in control of the flow of this battle. He needed to get him first before dealing with the angel. With his superior speed he appeared in front the of the boys ready to strike. He swung down with his right claw but was once again stopped. Once again captured by the blond's glare. Why couldn't he strike him down?

A bright light and a shout to run resumed the action. Iori was pushed forward out of the light and continued to race towards his friends. He didn't look back until he made it over the rock cover. When he looked back he saw his friend griping at the waist of the black dragon-man. He was hunched over, holding his stomach, gasping for air. He watched the digimon grab him by the neck and hurl him towards their cover. MagnaAngemon who had just caught up was grabbed and thrown into the cliff face.

Takeru hit the ground hard and the tumbling didn't help. The constant spinning didn't keep him from seeing something shine on the ground. He righted himself out and reached out to the object. He held on tight and dug it further into the ground to stop his backwards momentum. He had no to time to move as BlackWarGreymon was upon him once again. He rose the second claw that had broken off the Dremon Destroyer up in defense against the claws swung down on him again.

He blocked the strike, but the force brought him down to a knee. BlackWarGreymon didn't let up. He added enough force to push him back once again, that broke his make shift shield. He only held on to two pieces that were a few inches longer than his hands. They might not have been as long or durable as they once were, but they were still sharp.

Takeru rose his left hand in an attempt to chuck the broken claw at it's owner. He went to throw but his arm suddenly jerked to a stop. He looked back to see his arm covered in wrappings. He looked to his left to see Mummymon holding on to the other end. As soon as he caught sight of the mummy, Arukenimon also sent her own webs that grasped his bangle.

Thinking on his feet, he leaned into the wrappings and threw the claw in his left had at the two digimon. The bangle started to glow as he then grasped the two threads with his now empty hand. He tugged hard and cut at the slack he made between his grip and his golden bangle with the piece of claw in his right hand. Focused on the issue of freeing himself, Takeru didn't notice the small red orb of energy that flew along with his thrown claw. The explosion that fallowed caught his attention. He saw the two digimon get blasted back from their ledge towards the rock wall behind him. He looked up to see BlackWarGreymon staring at the aftermath. The dragon-man then turned towards him with curiosity in his eyes.

"I have something I want to ask you and I don't need those fools getting in the way," BlackWarGreymon explained. Have those two get in his way gave him enough time to calm down and asses the odd situation he was in. "What are you?" Takeru shot back and annoyed, inquisitive look. "You can't be a human; they don't fight. You also can't be a digimon; they aren't… as aggressive as you are. I know you aren't a dark spire creation, so what is it about you that stops my hand? What is it about your eyes that seem to be surrounding me? What are you?"

Takeru looked down at his bangle and wondered about his own questions he had on his mind. The item did help him out, but that didn't matter right now. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm just a human," He looked up. "While I am, getting a boost from that stone over there, it sounds more like you're having conflicting problems with your heart." Takeru looked around and found that MagnaAngemon had gotten to his feet. "My heart tells me to stop you, no matter what. I wonder what yours says. It's a same that even you can't understand it."

BlackWarGreymon was irritated by the word "heart". Did he really have one? Even if he did, what would it tell him? What good would it do? This boy probably knew, yet… "It's too late for such talk. It doesn't matter whether I have a heart or not. I will not stop until I fight the one I'm destined to. I will destroy you and your companions along with the stone if I have to." He felt giving words to this child might bring out something different within himself, but something grater took him over. Once again, he only felt a need to fight. BlackWarGreymon watched as the boys eyes changed, as if to give a reply to his declaration. The blue turned as red as his own ultimate attack.

"I'm glad were on the same page," Takeru smirked. "Then I too, will not stop until I kill you."

Becoming even more aware of the things around him, Takeru dashed to his left towards the face of the cliff. BlackWarGreymon mirrored his movements and kept pace with the boy. What the dark warrior didn't notice was MagnaAngemon, who slammed him into the ground. Takeru kept left until he reached the final claw that was embedded into the cliff. He pulled it out and rushed the grounded dragon-man. With a great leap, he fell and plunged the claw into it's back. He landed onto MagnaAngemon and prompted him to fall back towards the Holy Stone.

BlackWarGreymon grunted on the ground as he struggled to get up. He reach back with his left arm and destroyed the claw. He took his time getting up, thinking about the best way to destroy… Destroy what? The boy and his digimon, or the stone? He realized that the boy had made himself a larger target than even the stone within his mind. When had that happened? He looked at his opponent who would be protecting the stone. No, he was positioning for a counter attack. The boy had said so himself, that he wouldn't stop until he "killed" him. BlackWarGreymon reaffirmed that he, himself only had to, "destroy the stone." It was that simple.

The dark dragon-man rose both of his arms and flattened his palms together. He may only have one Dremon Destroyer left, but it was enough for his next attack. "Black Tornado!" He spun in place until he was just a black blur.

Like the wind, the spinning monster shot at MagnaAngemon who was shielding Takeru and the stone. He met the black spinning torpedo with his own shield. The force was incredible that he had to brace his left arm with his right. The speed picked up until a black wind tunnel formed in front of him. The tip barely balanced on his shield. It forced the others to take cover once more while he tried to hold back the black tornado. He couldn't make out anything around him anymore but a voice rang out in his mind. He listened and brought his right fist below his shield. His golden Excalibur extended and met with the wind force before him. With all of his strength he flung both arms upward sending the tornado into the sky.

While that kept them from taking a direct hit, the tornado's tail encompassed everything around the stone. It tore and shredded anything within it's zone. The ground near the wind tunnel was scraped away. It gathered loose stones and sent them to the sky.

When the winds died down the other children looked up to see the damage. The stone had received many gashes but it was still intact. MagnaAngemon was brought to his knees and looked a little tattered. The gauntlet that held his sword looked to be broken. His helmet had lost it's golden color but the transparent wings still kept their form.

What shocked them the most was Takeru. His back seemed to be glued to the stone that slightly floated off the ground. His dangling legs were covered in cuts and dirt. His lower torso was a dirty color of red and brown. His forearms didn't fare any better but looked more bruised than the rest of his body. When his arms fell, they could see that even his face couldn't escape harm. Little cuts littered his cheeks. As if the stone had let him go, he fell forward to the ground.

BlackWarGreymon looked down at the destruction he caused. Not as much as he had wanted but it was progress. He looked at his now shattered Dramon Destroyer. He tossed it to the side freeing his right hand. Even without his weapons, he would destroy the Holy Stone. He rushed down towards the ground to deliver a close ranged Terra Destroyer.

MagnaAngemon was still reeling from the last attack. He looked up to see the dark warrior descending. He looked back to his fallen partner and remembered the words of the voice that called out to him. If his partner wasn't going to give up, then who was he to stop now? He rushed up and collided with his adversary. Even if he couldn't fire anymore attacks, he could stop him with his own body.

BlackWarGreymon was surprised that the angel still had more fight left in him. That however, wouldn't be enough to stop him. He reached passed his opponent and aimed a shot at the stone. He was just about ready to fire when he felt a strong grip on his arm. His world was tuned upside down before he came in contact with the ground.

MagnaAngemon looked down at the small crater he created. The dust blocked his vision. He couldn't wait for is opponent to make the first move. He dive bombed the dust cloud only for a the dragon-man to dash out for the stone once more. He changed his coursed and collided once again sending them both into the ground. The two struggled in the dirt trying to out pace each other.

Arukenimon gathered herself back to the ledge to see what was taking so long. She saw the fight for the stone. She then noticed the boy that had shamed her so much, laying face first in the dirt. She may not be strong enough to fight anymore but she could still torture the boy. She could always find the energy to torment children.

"It serves you right. You're just a brat that got too full of himself when he got a little bit of power," the spider woman cackled. "Did you have to beg for those holy powers of yours? A lot of good that did."

The figure on the ground didn't seem to respond. Arukenimon thought that if she could get the boy to give up, his holy little angel would dedigivolve. What she hadn't expect was for his friends to chime in. They were yelling for their friend to get up and come to them. They couldn't make a move because of the fight that circled the stone.

"I'm gonna run over there and get him," Daisuke prepared to vault over the rock only to be tugged back down.

"Don't be stupid. Do you think you would be able to drag him back through that fight?" Miyako asked. She wanted to go out and pick him up too, but they couldn't act while that battle raged on. The movements were too erratic and they could be flattened by either of them.

"What if we used our digivices like Takeru did? Won't that stop BlackWarGerymon?" Iori added. He wanted to payback the blond for helping him earlier. The words he said about killing still bothered him but now wasn't the time for that. He needed to do something for his friend.

"That still has the problem of getting close," Ken interjected. "Also, every time Takaishi did that, it only delayed the attack. Maybe if one of us were used as a distraction. I can do it if Motomiya comes to pick him up." He then looked down at his dark digivice, "I just hope _I'm_ able to do it as well."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can do it," Daisuke assured.

"That's not the point! If you do that then what about you, Ken?" Miyako brought up the same valid point. "If you did that, then we'd just have to save you and we would just end up back where we started." Miyako noticed that someone was being quiet, she looked over to her DNA partner. The look on the girls face crushed her. It was as if a nightmare was playing out in front of her friends eyes.

"Mikayo… I…" Hikari's voice trembled.

"Not you too. You're shaking. None of you are going. We will just have to hope that he'll get up on his own." Those words crushed Miyako. She wouldn't run away from her friend but she needed to keep everyone else from getting hurt as well.

The word, "hope," struck a cored within Hikari. Takeru was doing more than enough for all of them and this is where it got him. She wanted to dash out there and pick him up but she knew her legs would betray her. Realizing she couldn't do anything for her friend, tears started to fall from her eyes. She wanted to do something. Memories of him were the only things that flashed through her head. One memory stuck out from the rest. She gathered up her courage and looked to the boy that was still on the ground. If he had ran out of hope, than she would give her own hopes to him. He shared everyone's hopes, even hers.

"TAKERU!" Hikari cried out, "Get up! You have to get up right now! I know you can do it!"

He didn't respond.

"I know you can make it over to the rest of us! You just have to stand up!"

Still, no response.

"Please! Keep going for just a little bit longer. We need you to protect the rest of the Holy Stones with us."

 ***** Twitch*

"You don't have to keep fighting anymore. If you keep this up, you and MagnaAngemon will… The both of you will… I don't want you to…" Hikari couldn't finish. No one wanted her to. They didn't want to think of it.

"You'll die, boy," Arukenimon finally chimed back in. She had wanted for the brat's friends to coax him into giving up, but couldn't give up on the chance to crush his spirit completely. That girl said they would still protect the Holy Stones, so she at least wanted to get one troublesome kid out of the way.

Takeru's left hand balled into a fist.

"And so will your little guardian angel."

He clenched his jaw and slowly pushed his upper body off the ground.

"All of it will be your own fault. A pitiful human who didn't know how to give up. Someone who underestimated the powers of darkness."

He pushed off the ground and got to his feet. His knees may have buckled and his back hunched, but he was now standing.

"You'll die a weakling who couldn't protect anything. It won't matter even if you manage to destroy BlackWarGerymon." Arukenimon was starting to become frustrated with the boy. Why wasn't he giving up? "I'll still be here to make more monsters."

With one motion Takeru straightened out, finally standing tall.

"Even if you kill _me_ , the attacks on this world wont stop." This boy was defying her and the world they lived in. "Don't you understand you can never win? Keep all of your useless efforts to yourself and just give up!"

The boy turned to her and she was once again shocked by his eyes that had been covered in shadow. Sharp, dark, red. They matched well with the scowl that graced his face. Yet even in that dark expression, a bit of light shown in his eyes. His pupils shown a bright gold that boldly stood out in contrast.

Once again the Holy Stone shown with a gold color. This time however, it didn't completely light up, but it's insides swirled with a golden energy. The sky darkened again, yet unlike, before the light seemed to fade away from the sky. While the sky was as black as a starless night, the world itself wasn't covered in darkness. Everyone could still see just fine. It was as if the afternoon light was still upon them. This scenery only seemed to make the light from the stone shine brighter than ever before.

"I…" Takeru began, but was cut off by a roar from behind him.

BlackWarGerymon had finally broken away from MagnaAngemon. He charged up a one handed Terra Destroyer. With no one in the way and the angel unable to catch up, he flung the orb at the stone. The orb sped up until it made contact and, the smoke split and tapered off to the sides of the stone. It may have be one small hit, but he had more coming. He was about to charge another attack when he noticed something odd in the smoke.

A flash of gold pushed aside the dust to reveal Takeru bracing his left out stretched arm. His bangle flashed, as if stating that it took the brunt of the attack. His left hand was covered in burns but he kept holding it up.

"I… will never… give up." Takeru choked. Not letting go, he pulled back his arms. "Not to some foolish spider who doesn't know anything about me." The bangle stated to absorb power from the holy stone. "Not to some monster who can't even understand his own heart." Takeru looked BlackWarGerymon dead in the eyes.

The Dark warrior was speechless. The boys eyes had turned completely red. The pressure that weighed on his body was unnerving. He was once again surrounded by multiple sets of eyes. What was standing in front of him was a beast out to kill him. He was once again stupefied.

MagnaAngemon was also caught off guard. He knew Takeru would do anything to protect the digital world but what had come over him. It was as if he had became possessed. He looked deep into the red eyes of his partner. He looked for something that would tell him that his closest friend was still in control. He saw a spark within the red, as well as felt one in his own core. That was all he needed to rush in front of his partner and wait for the order to attack.

The Holy Stone darkened as the bangle's glow grew stronger. The glow deepened but it didn't light up any brighter. Even though everything was still visible, Takeru was covered in a light shadow. The glow of the bangle didn't have an effecting him.

"This power was earned by putting my spirit on the line," Takeru clenched his left fist. "I'll put it, and everything I have at stake to kill you once and for all."

MagnaAngemon felt like he was the only one who could understand what his partner was going through. Having done something similar himself, he didn't feel it was his right to say anything. While protecting Takeru should have been his main priority, his need to support him overcame that. His partner was setting an example and it was his choice to follow. He let the energy from the golden wings cover his left arm. The only thing he needed to do was to match Takeru's movements. The bangle had finally drained the Holy Stone of it's power.

"I'll show you…" Takeru finally let go of his left hand. "We'll show you, what truly means to have a heart." He and MagnaAngemon stepped in for their last attack. They thrust out their fist, for their strongest attack yet, "Hallowed Knuckle!"

Lightning lashed out from MagnaAngemon's fist and zeroed in on BlackWarGreymon in less than an instant, forcing him back almost as quickly. The dragon-man had almost not put his arms up in time to block at least some of the attack. He had to act quickly if He didn't want to be overtaken. He would use everything he had as well to block this attack.

The light produced on collision blinded everyone. They couldn't count how many times they had to raise their arms to protect their eyes that day. What they weren't prepared for was the cracking sound the lighting produced. A sound of pure destruction ran through their ears. It took more than a few seconds for the attack to die down.

When everything quieted down, the children looked up to find their friend. He was once again obscured by the now gray stone. They could make out a little of him through some of the gashes on each side but it wasn't enough to tell how he was. They could at least see that he was still standing.

Angemon, who now dedigivolve form his Ultimate level was in a more visible position. He was brought down to one knee and looked winded. That attack looked like it drained a lot out of him. It surprised them that he could still stay digivolved. How could he still keep up that form?

The kids looked at where BlackWarGreymon was standing and they got their answer. There, stood a shattering black hexagon that hid the dragon-man palming a small Terra Destroyer. His armor was dressed in cracks. The red ball swirled with electrical energy. When had he brought out his shield? No one imagined he'd combine that with his own attack to absorb the damage.

"Truly impressive," BlackWarGreymon praised. "If just one stone can bestow such power, then the one in control must truly be a worthy opponent." He grunted as he tried to straighten out his legs. "It however, is a shame your body isn't able to keep up with that immense power. Even now, barely standing, you still give me that sharp glare. Is that what it means to have a heart?"

Takeru couldn't answer back. He could hardly keep his eyes open. He could only grit his teeth in frustration. He had given everything that he, MagnaAngemon, and the stone had and it still wasn't enough. Was all his effort really useless?

"I may not understand what having a heart truly means, but your… feelings have reached me." The dark warrior rose the Terra Destroyer in one hand. "You've earned my respect. Allow me to give an attack that is just as earnest."As if pitching a soft ball, he gave the attack a light under hand throw.

Takeru watched as the ball of destruction casually sped his way. It touched ground and expanded in size while still closing in. As his vision was washed in red, he could only make out his partner bracing him for the attack. There was nothing he could do, nothing at all. He waited as the wind brushed away gathered tears.

The world was exploded in red as the orb finally consumed it's target. As the light died down the only thing that could be seen was the figure of a boy being flung backwards through the air. He hit the ground hard and bounced backwards until his body the scratched uneven earth, and twirled along the ground. Only coming to a stop when his back roughly hit the rocks covering the other children. He laid unmoving, griping his now, Fresh leveled partner. Still unmoving, even when his digivice skipped into his face.

Even with the battle over, the sky didn't brighten. The only thing to stand out was the static image of the same digital monster they've seen before. The blue dragon seemed to be riving in pain above the remains of the stone. It let out a sorrowful roar. Takeru's fallen digivice responded to the beast with a light glow of blue. The two soon faded as the mountain started to shake. With his work done, the dark dragon-man took to the skies to leave. Without the stone, the area wouldn't be able to hold itself together, there was no longer a need to be there.

Everyone was about to rush to their fallen comrade. They stopped cold when they saw him try to get up on his own. When they saw him sail through the air, a feeling of loss washed over most of them for at least a second. No one thought he would even be able to move, let alone stand up. They weren't surprised to find that his knees and hands couldn't leave the ground. Ken and Daisuke vaulted over to help the boy up and get him moving. Hikari gathered Poyomon and they, along with their digimon, ran off, leaving the collapsing area behind.

The normal sky had also turned dark, but the stars glittered in it's night. It was late and they all needed to get home. They had just reached the bridge that lead to the television that would send them home. The walk was quiet, no felt like breaking silence. It was heard to digest what had just happened. They had all been hurt before but not to the degree Takeru had. What surprised them the most was that his wounds weren't still bleeding. For all the fighting he had done, all the cuts and scrapes he had, there was little blood. At least not as much as they expected.

Iori lagged behind the group. He could only think about how his friend could change so much in a short time. Those words, those eyes didn't seem like they belonged to him. He caught a slight glimpse of them when he had let go of the stone and the further change when he faced Arukenimon. Was that the true Takeru? Was he really just hiding a personality just as bad as the Digimon Kaiser's? Yet, even like that, he had protected him.

"Takeru!" Iori couldn't stand it any longer. He needed to get to the bottom of this. He needed to stop his friend before he did something horrible. "Why did you _want_ to destroy BlackWarGreymon? You were basically fighting on even ground with him, you could have tried talking to him more. He might have listened to you"

Miyako, who was leading them, turned back to her youngest friend. She empathized with the boy but couldn't believe the digimon would change. She didn't want to kill him either but also couldn't think of a way to stop the monster without doing just that. She gave Pururumon a light squeeze.

Ken looked at the ground beneath him. It was his fault in the first place that any of this was happening. If he hadn't made the dark towers, no one would have to suffer this much. "I can understand his feelings. If it would make you feel better I'll be the one to finish BlackWarGreymon off," He sifted his grip on Takeru and Leafmon.

"There you go again Ken," Daisuke butted in. "We're partners now, we'll do it together. Iori, sometimes we have to do things we don't want to, to save the day. I can't say much about killing digimon but we have to do something."

"None of you are listening," Iori spoke up. "You all heard him. He _wanted_ to…"

Takeru pulled away from Daisuke and Ken. He stumbled back a bit but gathered himself. "You're right Iori," he answered. "By the end, it wasn't about protecting the stone anymore, it was just to kill the opponent in front of me." The bluntness caught everyone off guard.

"How can say something like that? We don't have the right to-"

"But we have the choice to. I chose not be halfhearted anymore. I chose to do everything within my power to seriously face the enemy." He chose not to regret anything.

"But you even said he had a heart. How can you be so cruel? I know some things might can't be helped, but how can you be so willing?" Iori just wanted to understand the older boy at this point. He didn't understand how someone so nice could do something that awful.

"Myotismon had a heart…" Takeru turned to look Iori in the eyes. "Puppetmon… Piemon…. ….Devimon…" Takeru remembered their defeated enemies. "I can't say I regret that we killed them, or that I wished we had found another way. All of them were evil for their own reasons. One seemed not to know better, while the others just didn't care. They all had hearts and still did terrible things. Maybe you should also think about what it truly means to have a heart. What it means for your enemies and for yourself."

Iori was silent. He wanted to argue back. He wanted to prove that they could talk BlackWarGreymon out of destroying the Holy Stones. That they could change his mind. Just like… "Then would you have done to same to the Digimon Kaiser? Would you have-"

"Iori!" Miyako had had enough. "Stop it. Now's not the time for this. It's late and we should have been home already. I'm tired and I want to take a bath. You've taken this too far."

Takeru turned his head back towards Ken and gave him a knowingly dull look. The dark haired boy looked back and turned away not wanting to remember what happened between the two. "No, I wouldn't," Takeru turned back slightly amused.

"Then you can do the same for BlackWarGreymon," Iori tried to push the idea of killing out of Takeru's head.

"Not if he doesn't do the same to me. As long as he's threatening this world…. both worlds, I'll meet him with the same deadly force."

"Then if I can change his mind, you won't kill him."

"That's very hopeful, Iori, but I don't think that will work."

"But if I can?" Iori pushed.

"If you can make him stop, then I'll stop too."

"Promise?" Iori's eyes lit up.

"Cross my heart," Takeru motioned with a smile.

"Good, can we go now?" Daisuke huffed. "We'll have to jump the gates by now," he started for the bridge with Ken just behind him.

"You know they don't lock those gates," Miyako added. She went on the bridge with home on the mind.

"We should call Koushiro to help us with our parents," Iori ran up beside Miyako. "It's really gotten late."

Takeru started after them when he felt a hand around his wrist. He turned to see Hikari staring down to the ground. He couldn't see her face, nor did she say anything, but he understood all the same. "You wanna talk too, huh?" he asked. She nodded her head and the two waited a moment before they themselves crossed the bridge. Takeru had lightly grasped the girls hand before the two made it to the other side.

With others gating out, none the wiser, the two of them found a rock that plateaued slightly above the ground. It was conveniently low enough not to feel uncomfortable sitting down on. Takeru took Poyomon and sat down with his arms resting on his knees, looking towards the bridge. Towards the part of the sky that was jet black with clouds, signing the area where the distortion lied. Where the Holy Stone once stood.

Hikari walked behind Takeru and sat on the other opposite side of the rock facing away from him. Her D-Terminal beeped and she looked at the message. She sent one of her own back before putting it away. She didn't need to tell Takeru what it had been about, he had to have already knew. She looked up to the stars for answers on where to start. She felt she had as many thoughts as there were lights in the sky, so she decided to start with what she wanted to know the most. Hikari leaned back and for only a second, pressed her back against Takeru, "are you alright?"

Takeru wasn't surprised by her. He knew this wouldn't be a chat about the black dragon-man, at least not directly. "Not really," he palmed at the bangle on his left wrist.

That's what Hikari had expected. She had never had a serious talk with the boy alone like this, but he handled it like everything else, honestly open. He wasn't only talking about his body. "You don't have to blame yourself for what happened today."

"I know."

"And you don't have to fight on your own."

"I won't."

"I meant without the rest of the team."

"…"

The silence was all she needed to know the boy's unease. What made Takeru feel so unsure about himself with the rest of the group? The problem wasn't with them but within himself. Hikari needed to know more. "What happened when you touched the Holy Stone?"

The next big question had come and Takeru didn't really know how to answer. It was an odd out of body experience, so he tried explaining it the best he could. He left nothing out while glossing over the attacks that he felt to his spirit. Looking back he felt he might have done something he shouldn't have. The pay off hadn't been worth it; the Holy Stone had still been destroyed.

Hikari thought over everything she had just been told. What Takeru described sounded awful. She also felt he downplayed that "prickly, hot feeling," he described. Beings that came from shadows. A place where the light covered the darkness. She didn't think such a power would be a good thing.

"It can't be all that bad. I mean you did get a holy ring, right?" Plotmon added. "I mean, without mine, I'm kind of useless by myself."

Hikari looked back at her partner who was pawing at the gold bangle around Takeru's arm. It was similar to the holy ring that even Plotmon wore. The thought of Takeru wearing a similar item that meant a lot to her partner made her feel better. It was a "holy" ring after all.

"So if you don't want yours, can I have it?" the small puppy begged.

"Takeru worked really hard for that" interjected Poyomon who had digivolved to Tokomon by now.

"I was just kidding. I for one, know how important it can mean to someone."

Takeru didn't really know what it was, but that little conversation made him laugh. It must had been infectious because Hikari started to giggle behind him. The two digimon looked up at the partners curiously before they looked at each other and started laughing as well. Their laughter echoed in the mountain.

Hikari didn't want to spoil the good mood but there was one more thing she needed to make sure of. "Takeru, about the fight with BlackWarGreymon."

"I know. I'll rely on you guys next time." Takeru spoke up. He didn't really want to bring up that fight anymore.

"No, not that. That couldn't have been helped. I meant the _way_ you fought him." Hikari was met with silence once more. "After what you told me, I know I cant stop you from fighting like that. Ever since that fight at the dam, the way you handled things have been a little scary. The only reason I haven't said anything was because I believed you were doing the right thing. You've always done what was best for others, even at the cost of yourself."

Hikari looked back up to the sky. She reached back slightly to grasp Takeru's left hand, "but today you scared me the most. I thought you had…." She didn't want to finish her sentence. She gave his hand a squeeze, "promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you'll stay safe."

Takeru took in everything she had said. There was a very visible amount of danger all of the children put themselves in when protecting the digital world. He knew what scared her the most was _how_ he was putting himself in danger. He covered the small space between them by leaning back against her. "Today couldn't be helped. I promise I'll be careful," he reassured her.

Hikari knew how far he would take that promise. It didn't completely make her feel better but as long as she knew she could see him again, it comforted her. Her eyes focused back to the sky. The moon was now over them. Not much time had passed but the sky was quick to change.

"We should be getting back. It's late and Taichi can only lie so well to your mom." Takeru may have said that but he was unmoving. He was more so thinking out loud than anything else.

"You're still tired, right? We can stay for a little longer. My brother will message me when he arrives to pick me up. I'll have to walk you home, you know." Hikari was glad that their conversation had became light again.

"Shouldn't it be the other way around? I can get home on my own."

"I won't let you out of my sight until I know you've gotten home safe. I'd drag you home all by myself if I had to."

"So that's why you're stalling for Taichi. Very clever, Yagami."

"It seems I've been found out," Hikari laughed. "I'd rather you didn't, but _you_ could walk both ways with my brother if it would make you feel better."

"No, I'll take your generous offer," Takeru rested the back of his head against Hikari's. He was almost unaware of the light smile he brought to the girl's face. It matched his own. He rose his line of sight so he was now staring at the stars as well. He gave the girl's hand a light squeeze, "thank you."

The two stared at the sky with their digimon for little while longer. They each took hold of their partners with their free hand. They wondered what would happen from now on. How would they handle it? How would they be able to? They still didn't know a lot, but they knew they would be there for one another. That was enough to bring them peace, if only for that moment.

 **An: Well, that went on longer than I thought it would. When first writing I always knew I would split the battle into three segments. The Hollowed Ascension, Black Tornado, and Hollowed Knuckle. The stuff in between that was almost off the cuff. Some of it was thought out, but the length caught me by surprise. I honestly thought I'd be scene skipping for this chapter as well.**

 **The first section was hard to describe. Describing it took a lot of effort and I still don't thing I got it quite right. From the area, to Takeru's feelings, it was a challenge. I did enjoy the final description. I wish I could draw it…. and the fight.**

 **I want to say I wrote the fight well but that might just be the vision running through my head. How I transfer that in writing is a different matter. You have to play with details to control the pace. More than anything, I hope I gave you a great sense of movement.**

 **While my actual plot didn't move forward that much, character development was through the roof. I feel like I can make Takeru extremely aggressive when fighting as long as he's kind of docile when not. I also want a better contrast between what he says and does. My only problem lies with the dialogue during the fight. I can really lay on the cheese but Takeru's bothered me the most. I feel like I might have gone too far at the climax.**

 **The part with Iori at the end wasn't there at first but thinking about it, a scene would be cut later from the show, so lets sort of replace it here. Their original relationship was that Iori wanted to get to know Takeru but never _really_ talked him about it. He always would say something, Takeru would say something back, and Iori would then monologue internally. I gave them an open conversation and laid out what they thought and wanted but left it unresolved for now. While the whole killing digimon thing will be a point of contention, it won't be the driving point for of the story.**

 **Who better to show that than Hikari. Isn't it good to end a chapter off with some fluff. Better than what I did last time. I feel like I really got to most facets of Takeru's personality in this chapter. Writing him with Hikari feels natural no matter what the situation is. I also feel like I can cheat, because I can get away with connecting them without talking. So it's a good thing I made them do a lot of talking as well. I originally set for them to be at the school in the afternoon but a starry night was better. The conversation with Iori would have gone bad and she would chase him back to the school.**

 **I hope you'll review this chapter as well. Next time will have more twist and turns so I hope you'll comeback.**


	3. Inner Demons

**Chapter 3:**

 **Inner Demons**

Takeru was really becoming tired of finding himself in places deterrent to his vision. To be awoken from his nap by finding himself being crushed underwater was something painfully new. However, luckily this time, he only had a single pair of red eyes glaring at him. Sadly, unlike last time, this was physically happening. He struggled but abruptly came to a stop when he felt his lungs being slightly crushed. He let out the rest of the air he was holding in and waited to pass out and drown.

Whatever was holding him had other plans and dragged the boy upward towards the top of the water. The break to the surface surprised Takeru as he was just about black out. His body automatically gasped for air as his senses started to clear. After a few seconds of heaving he looked around.

The only thing that he could make out of the dense fog he had found himself in, was a gray cloudy sky and matching water as far as he could see. There was a smell to the salt that brought back bad memories. One where he felt like he took too long help a friend, and another where he didn't help at all. The sudden smell of low tide only made his stomach roll even more.

Takeru had gotten over is slight nausea to focus on his own confusion. How could he smell low tied in the middle of the ocean? Takeru finally looked down at what was gripping him for the first time. A squishy, gray, tentacle firmly gripped his body. He rose his eyes to once again find red ones glaring towards him. Eyes that didn't seem to be looking _at_ him. At least not in a way he was used to. A feeling of detachment, and superiority was held within those eyes. He was suddenly reminded of Ken, as the Digimon Kaiser, and gained a better grasp of the eyes glaring his way. Now if only the fog would clear up and give him a better look.

The fog moved aside, granting his wish, only to reveal what he would describe as, a snaggletoothed squid with eyes and a slack jaw. Joking aside, connected to that face was the body of a giant sea beast that towered in what he assumed to be a fairly deep ocean. The fact that he was _saved_ meant that the monster wanted him for something. He had to think of something to get out of this horrible situation while he still had the chance. Those eyes that looked at him like some piece of worthless trash also didn't sit well with him.

The boy was about the speak when the giant sea monster started instead, "Why have you come to my domain?" The boy looked at him in confusion. "I am Dagomon, the ruler of this dark ocean. The god of this dark world!" The blond nodded along to signal that he was comprehending his worlds. "You are trespassing."

"I see…." Takeru wiggled a bit. "Well, I'm not quite sure how I got here myself, but I'll be glad to leave right away."

"It is far too late for that," the monster spoke. "I've been having more and more digimon slipping in and out of my realm, and the area itself has been leaking out in some places." The grip on Takeru tightened. "I have ordered to destroy any abnormalities on sight. Especially anything that connects to the rifts. You seem to be giving off the same power that keeps the digital world in balance and yet here you are, slipping between worlds. Could _you_ be causing the problems?"

Things couldn't get any worse. What was this sea beast even talking about? Takeru needed some way out of this mess. If only Patamon was here. The last time he came to this bleak world, it had mostly been Hikari's doing. Tailmon spouted off something about feelings but he didn't really buy into it. If that were the case, then they would have gotten there much sooner than they did.

Even with all that said, the only thing he could do was hope for his partner to come to his rescue. The bangle on his left arm reacted and a golden light shot down from the sky and dissolved the tentacles around him. He braced for gravity to take him when he suddenly felt arms cradling him.

Takeru looked up to find a gray Angemon staring down at him. "Takeru, I was so worried when you disappeared from your room," the angel said. The angel digimon handed him his digivice and moved him to his back.

The under sea god reeled his appendage back and looked at the angel in front of him. Images of the past flashed before him. He had seen that boy once before. He was the one who escaped once, with the girl his followers had brought to this world. The girl had caught his attention in how she gave her partner color in this world. She was able to bring light to his darkened world. It was something he wasn't used to, it captured something within his soul.

"We should get out of here right now, Takeru," Angemon rushed to the opening in the clouds made by the beam of light. He had just barely gotten started when he felt something slimy crawl on his leg. It was a tentacle and it flung him down into the water. The crash disoriented him only for a moment. He made sure Takeru was still hanging on before righting himself. Movement was on his mind but the thought was cut short as the water suddenly started to swirl around him.

Takeru couldn't believe his eyes. The water was swirling away from the two of them. A whirlpool was forming around them. He wanted to say something about the fact that they weren't swept away with the water but the words didn't want to escape his mouth. The water kept spinning until the bottom of the ocean floor could be seen. The spinning water became less of a whirlpool and more of a spinning Colosseum.

The sea god touched down and towered over the angel and the boy. It looked down curiously. "Boy, you are an acquaintance of the girl who was brought to this world twice before?" the colossal digimon seemed to mumble.

Takeru was slightly put off by the monsters sudden meek nature. "Yes?" Takeru prodded for more information.

"Then you would know of her whereabouts." The boy nodded along. Dagomon averted eye contact, "Then if you could bring her to me, I let you live."

Takeru couldn't comprehend _all_ of what was just spoken to him. He heard and understood the words, but needed a little more clarification. "WHAT!?"

"Bring me the girl and I'll let you live. I shall use her powers to bring light to this dark world."

Confusion had crossed Takeru's face for a multitude of reasons in his short stay in the dark world. He decided to deal with the most recent addition, "…no." As soon as the words escaped his lips, he was jerked away from his partner and once again in the sea god's slimy grip. How had his day turn out so poorly?

Takeru thought back on how he had gotten here. He had gladly woken up late because there was no way he was going to school. He was lucky enough to find his wounds where mostly healed. That digital golden bangle might have given him a digimon vitality and he was grateful. He had an early lunch, took a nap, and the past few minutes were as fresh as the slime that dripped on his face. Yep, the changing of events were still completely lost to him.

The sea monster tightened it's grip. He wanted to bring the boys drifting mind back into focus. "I don't think you understand your situation boy. I'm being really generous to you. I could just take the time to find the girl on my own. I'm giving you the chance to save yourself."

Dagomon gave his speech expecting the boy to change his mind. His curiosity winning over his cruelty. The boy had passed through to his world on his own, but from the human world. The connection between his and that world were significantly weaker than the one to the digital. His subjects spoke of how it took them some time to bring the girl over. This boy however, slipped over as if he were in the digital one. If he could posses such a power for himself, then it would prove useful to use the boy until he gained his power. This small act would get him to reveal his secrets. If the boy didn't cooperate, then he would just have to be even more forceful.

Takeru was becoming more light headed as the time went by. It was hard to focus. He looked to Angemon to find him struggling within his own slimy bindings. To keep thinking straight, he focused on the fact that this monster wanted Hikari. That was bad enough but the fact he wanted to bring her back to this awful world jut added to his anger. This sea beast just added more and more reasons for him to want to kill it.

"Don't be so stubborn," Dagomon loosened his grip on the boy. His single tentacle split apart, one for each limb. They hoisted the boy closer to his face. "That's an interesting trinket you got there." His eyes focused on the gold bangle that allowed the boy's partner to enter this world. Could that be the source of his power? Had he already found his prize? When the boy came the first time, the girl had made an opening herself and the boy responded to that. This time, that trinket seemed to be what he needed. It held a stranger power than the girl's within it, and he couldn't quite comprehend what it was. He had never bothered with crossing worlds himself because of the time and strain it could take. If this item would make it easier, then why _not_ dabble a bit.

Takeru felt the tentacle on his left arm slide to his bangle. It gripped it tightly and tried to pull it off. The ring was only slightly smaller than his hand. It felt like it would go through but it was just too small. Not wanting it stolen, Takeru focused on the bangle to get it to glow again. It let off a small light but it was nowhere near as bright as it was before.

Dagomon gripped the trinket tighter as it tried to fight off his attack. The thing must had been made of holy energies to be putting up this much of a fuss. No matter, even the brightest of lights could be swallowed by darkness.

Takeru fought off the tentacle the best he could but couldn't seem to put his heart into it. The funk he was in seemed to make him want to lose hope. He could only think back to his fight with BlackWarGreymon. The same feelings of defeat, and frustration over took him. His mind became unfocused and caused the bangle's glow to dim.

The tentacle took this chance to try and pull on last time. It gripped as hard as it could. That proved to be a poor choice. The bangle dimmed and faded, finally breaking to pieces. The pieces disintegrated before they could even past the boys waist. The shock it brought to everyone's face was stunning. No one's was as devastated as Takeru's. He had literally just watched his hard work from the past day, crumble away.

Dagomon's shock stemmed from over expectations. Had the item possessed a special ability than out right holy power? If that was the case, then why hadn't the feeling he gotten from the thing disappear with it? He looked back to the boy. His eyes had grown cold and distant. Had the boy absorb some of it's power? If so, then he could still be used.

An even greater scheme formed in the sea god's mind. A more forceful one than the last two ideas. The original plan of using the boy got easier. All he had to do was manipulate the boy with the darkness of his world and he'd gain the power to cross over to other worlds without gates. He had planed for the boy to just call out for the girl from his own dark world but sending the child back would make things easier. He would also be able to study the process all he wanted.

He slithered an extra tentacle around the boy's neck to hold his head up. "I'm quite sorry for braking your trinket," Dagomon lied. "It just…. got in the way of our conversation. Now, I know I promised you your freedom, but how about I offer something better." The boy's eyes were unresponsive, good. "You see, this world has the power to grant wishes. No matter how dark they may be, it can bring your deepest dreams to life. So tell me you darkest wish and I shall grant it."

Dagomon ruled this world and understood it better than anyone else. This world fed into the worst parts of a person. Their sadness, anger, fear. That was the main requirement for passing over. It really did have the power to grant their wish to some extent but it mostly warped their wish, along their personality. If given the chance, suggestion can be implanted and the person could become a puppet for the rest of their days. This boys spirit seemed to break with the trinket, so he was in a perfect state to manipulated.

Angemon had seemed to have become an after thought to the two confronting each other. He focused on Takeru who had seemed to have been out of it for a while now. He could feel the darkness of this wold crawl on his skin along with the slime. He cursed his own weakness in not being able to do anything. The only thing he could do was call out to his partner.

Takeru couldn't seem to focus anymore. He couldn't even focus on the giant in front of him. His eyes clouded with darkness. It was almost like the space within the Holy Stone. What did he need to focus on? His darkest wish? Images flashed before his darkened eyes. Enemies of the past were being defeated. Their bodies bursting into digital bits, and the bits blew away with the wind. New images formed by his imagination sprung up. BlackWarGreymon, Arukenimon, Mummymon, all being deleted. Finally his eyes cleared and he was once again staring at Dagomon.

Dagomon studied the boy carefully. His patience had paid off when the boy started to radiate with a dark energy. The boy was wallowing in his own darkness now. All he had to do was add a touch of his own and he would be in control of the boy. He removed the tentacle around the boy's neck to let his head hang. He went to place the tentacle to the his forehead but was repealed by his dark aura. Unbelievable, the boy's own darkness rejected him. He had never experienced such a thing.

Takeru looked up to his captor. "It's a shame, but thinking about it, I don't think you can really grant my wish," his glare and pupils sharpened. "You see, you aren't really strong enough to do it," the iris turned redder than the beast's own. "Worse, you wont even be alive long enough to see it come true," A smirk crossed his face.

How could this be? Dagomon couldn't comprehend what was happening. This boy was radiating darkness itself, and yet it fought him off. He was more defiant than when he had used the holy power of that trinket. Was that holy power just there to hold back this inner darkness?

"It seems you don't get what's going on," Takeru read Dagomon's face. "For a guy with such a gray landscape, you sure do seem to only see in black and white. Well, you did want the spice of color in this world, so at least you know what you lack. It's a shame that driving me to darkness only put me on the right track." Takeru was extremely amused by the irony.

The dark aura changed to gold and burned at the tentacles. They stubbornly refused to let get, not wanting to admit defeat. The aura moved around circled Takeru. It sped up until it reformed his bangle. However, that wasn't the only thing to form on his body. A thick cloth formed and bunched around his neck. A long beige piece caped out from the back reaching just above his ankles and splitting at the end. Finally a hood formed around his head with a trim at the edge that seemed to run down the entire piece.

What was this power? He'd never seen a holy force like this. It ate away at any dark force Dagomon attempted to overwhelm it with. The boy's device started to glow as well and light shot out to his partner. It digivolve to Ultimate and Dagomon cursed his horrid luck. It was a shame, but he could no longer keep the boy alive. Whatever kind of power he held, it wasn't completely made of light or darkness. He couldn't leave an unknown element like that to it's own devices. He let go of the boy as the angel slashed it's way out of his grip. He needed to regroup for a counter attack.

MagnaAngemon flew and caught Takeru in his arms once again. He looked down to check his partner, "are you alright?" Takeru pulled down his hood and nodded his head. The boy moved to the angels back once more. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to kill him where he stands," Takeru answered. "At first I thought this guy was just creepy on the outside and a jerk on the inside, but he's actually both." Takeru shared the same thoughts as Dagomon in not wanting to leave his opponent free to go.

Dagomon started chanting some sort of prayer. A shadow appeared within the whirlpool. A trident pierced through the water for the Sea god to take hold of. "You shall not escape this world, boy. This ocean will become your grave," he pointed his spear.

Takeru had finally gained back his focus. Worries, fears, and frustrations were brushed to the back of his mind. His eyes only set on Dagomon. While he was begrudgingly thankful for it, he wouldn't let the darkness of this world affect him anymore. He would show this world and it's master it's greatest weakness. "MagnaAngemon, focus all of your power to your sword," he ordered his partner who complied.

Dagomon pulled back his trident. He couldn't shake off the horrible feeling the boy gave off. He couldn't identify how strong the boy was or what he was thinking. Unlike the girl before him, who had given off a bright light that could bring color to his world. This boy seemed to only be internalizing his power. The aura had long faded and the only thing that stood out were his blood red eyes. Eyes of indiscriminate destruction. He never imagined he would feel this type of anxiety in his own world. He shoved all of those feelings down with the thrust of his trident. He would strike this boy down and drown him in the darkness of this world.

The trident cut through the air surprisingly fast for it's colossal size. The target hovered in place waiting for the perfect time to strike. Just as the trident was about to skewer the two, the shout of "Excaliburst," along with a bright light erupted from them and they zoomed around the weapon towards it's owner. Like a shooting star rising to the sky, the light shot through the sea god, along with the wall of water behind it and arched towards the sky. The great god of the dark wold disintegrated without knowing the boy's true power. It's data followed the light trail that lead towards the sky as if seeking it's destroyer out.

Takeru and MagnaAngemon flew upwards at a blinding speed. They would take the momentum of their attack to break through and escape the dark world in one shot. MagnaAngemon gave a final cry of, "Judgment Slash," to not only cut the clouds but the sky it self. The beam of gold shining down on them, meant that they had opened up their way out of the dark world.

Before the two shot through their own gate, the data of the sea creature had caught up to them. Unbeknownst to them, the data clung to the boy's cloak. The cloak turned a dark gray and the trim became a dark red. The two had completely broken through just moments after.

Appearing from the ground, the two rose above the treeline as they slowed to a stop. They looked over the landscape to get a grasp on where they were. They appeared to be in the digital world, but even together they agreed that they were still lost. The two landed and MagnaAngemon dedigivolved back to Patamon. He flew atop Takeru's head and took a well deserved rest. "That was really something," he yawned.

"You're telling me. How did I even end up in that world anyway?"

"Wasn't Hikari really moody when she was taken the first time?"

"I haven't been 'moody'," Takeru asserted a bit annoyed. Sure, he was a bit annoyed that he hadn't beaten BlackWarGreymon the other day but that's what naps were for. He didn't think it was fair for him to be transported in the middle of one. He started making his way through the forest.

The forest wasn't dense in the least so they had a good view of the land. Nice flat land with soft grass beneath their feet. A rather large mountain could bee seen in the distance. Patamon perked up at the smell of a river near by. Takeru was already heading in that direction so it was decided that they would get their bearings from there.

If there was one thing that bothered Takeru about their little walk, it would be this constant rustling noise he would hear. It only happened once in a while but it was constant enough to concern him. He didn't look back to check it, but he kept notice of it until he got to the river.

The river it self was about waist deep and very clear. It almost seemed to sparkle in the light. The two knew that drinking directly from a river wasn't the best idea… at least for Takeru, but their stay in the ocean had made them thirsty. They both took a handful of water and when it reached their lips they were almost blown away. The two had never tasted water this clean. They couldn't believe how good it was.

What Takeru really couldn't believe was how annoying those bushes still were. He flung the rest of his water back at a bush. A dark figure sprung out before him. It was black with purple stripes running up it's tail, to match it's gloves. It's yellow feline eyes sparkled just like the river.

"E-excuse me, I-I'm BlackTailmon," the creature greeted. "I didn't mean to bother you," the feline said meekly. The duo looked down at the inverted copy of one of their own friend. An awkward quiet filled the forest. Only the sound of the rushing river could be heard by the group. The black cat broke first, "I was wondering if you've seen a Tailmon around the forest?" The two shook their heads. This was their first time seeing any digimon since getting to the digital world. "I… see. I haven't seen any other digimon around so…"

"Did you lose your friend?" Patamon asked.

"No, I mean y-yes," The cat stuttered. "Me and my sister were walking in another forest near here when she started to disappear."

"Like a ghost?"

"Yes! No, I mean not quite," BlackTailmon corrected in stress. "She started to lose color and looked fuzzy, and then she just faded away. I didn't know what to do so I just started running around looking for her. A village down the river said it had been happening around here too so I've been looking for clues. That's when I found you two rise out of the ground looking the same as she did, but you appeared instead of disappear."

Takeru swallowed the information along with another sip of water. It was just as Dagomon had said, digimon were being dragged to that ocean. It could even be that they are slipping into the human world like Miyako saw in Kyoto.

"W-would you have an idea of where she could be?" the cat spoke up.

"Sorry… your sister might not even be in the digital world right now. Things have been pretty unstable for a while," Takeru explained. He didn't want to lie to the poor thing.

"I-I see. It's not your fa-fault," BlackTailmon was starting to choke up. "Things have been kind of weird in the world. So-sorry for wasting your time, t-thank you."

The cat was about to retreat until Takeru called out, "We're kind of lost too." Takeru had regained the cat's attention. "I'm kind of wandering around until if find something I'm looking for. Until I find it, we could help you look for your sister." He couldn't let the poor thing just run off, literally crying for her sister. He needed to get home to keep his own mother form doing it herself but he could at least help until then.

"Yeah three sets of eyes are better than one," Patamon added.

The black cat looked at them with admiration. Complete strangers would help her find her sister. She was glad that she could meet such nice strangers. "I-I was actually going up to the mountain to pray to the sage who lives there." The two gave her a quizzical look. "The villagers say praying to him can help you find anything and anyone. They pray at their local shrine for help but it's said that praying directly will never fail. He only appears to ones who truly need help."

"But that mountain is so big," Patamon said looking at the mountain in the distance. "That must be one long hike."

"W-well no one has ever really climbed it. It's just the rumor that goes around in town."

"So you don't know if it's even true?" Takeru wondered out loud.

"S-s-sorry…"

"It's fine, I wanted a lay of the land anyway. How about we get to walking?" Takeru asked with a smile.

BlackTailmon brightened up at Takeru's words. "Yes, you're quite lucky you came to the river. It will take us straight to the base of the mountain. Even without the story of finding the lost, it is still considered a sacred landmark. It's from where the river flows and why it's water is so fresh."

Takeru beckoned for the cat to climb into his arms so he could carry her. She stammered a reply and settled for hanging on to his left shoulder. She preemptively apologized for if her claws scratched his cloak.

As they moved closer to the mountain Takeru wondered about what exactly he was wearing. Why a cloak? He felt like it wasn't even that dark back in the dark ocean, at that was saying a lot. He remembered what Koushiro had told them about why their cloths changed. Even now, under his new accessory, he was wearing the same old digital clothes he always had. The fact that it also formed in the dark ocean bothered him. It wasn't really a problem, but did he really, subconsciously, have this sense of fashion?

Before he knew it they were at the foot of the mountain. The river they were fallowing seemed to rush right from out the bottom of the mountain. If they were ever going inside it, it wouldn't be from here. He looked up and realized how large it was. It was much, much taller than infinity mountain. "Do you think you can help out Patamon?" Takeru asked looking up.

"You got it," the winged partner cheered. "I was kind of tired before, but I'm all ready to go now. That water really did hit the spot." He digivolved to Angemon and when Takeru was secured to his back, and BlackTailmon to his, the angel took to the air. He rose along the mountain at a good pace, only slow down when an odd mist started to form. "I thought we were done with fog for today." He spotted some flat ground next to a large rock and landed on the mountain.

Takeru got off his friend and looked around carefully. Walls covered them except from one front. He move to the large rock that distinguished itself from the mist. He reached out and touched it. It started to glow a deep green color that spread out to the rest of the ground beneath it. It soon over took their little rocky alcove, giving off a steady pulse. The mist started to clear and it gave them a clear view of where they were and what Takeru was touching.

A Holy Stone stood in the center of the little patch of land they had found, yet it felt different. Not only that, it didn't have the holy ring around it either. The light then focused on the inner wall of the mountain. While the light got brighter bit by bit, the wall started to fade. An opening was reviled to the three of them. The inside of the tunnel revealed to them, shown with a bright green to light their way.

Takeru looked down at his hand, "I guess, that's the entrance." He started to lead the way into the mountain.

"No one said that the sages _had_ to be at the top of the mountain," BlackTailmon said, trying to get a grip on what had just happened. "D-does stuff like this happen to you two a lot?"

"Just a bit," Angemon answered looking at his surroundings. They were making their way through a wide tunnel full of dark rock. Even with the light pulsing, their vision was never truly dampened. He perked up at the sound of water dripping. The other two also seemed to heard the sound as well. They picked up their pace just a bit to satisfy their curiosity.

The tunnel lead out to a large open space that looked like it could fit an entire shopping mall and it's parking lot. A very large pond was centered in the area with the same crystal clear water. Pond might have been an understatement as it was sitting where the entire mall would be. What threw them off was how shallow the water was. It looked like it only went up to Takeru's knees.

The only other thing that stood out was the constant dripping noise. What surprised them was that water wasn't falling into the pond, at least not normally. The water rippled, which cause a single drop of water to fling up form the middle and fall back down into it. Every few seconds, the drop of water echoed in the stone chamber; the sound matching with the glow of the rocks. It left the trio speechless. The mountain was truly a sacred place.

Takeru focused on the drip. While the light was slightly more dim do to the large area, he could still clearly make things out. What he found odd was that the ceiling to this area as pitch black, even with the glow crawling up the walls. The more he looked at the area, more he felt his heart beat sync with the drip. He felt more relaxed.

Takeru looked over to the black feline still on his shoulder, "What now?"

"We should pray to find the sage," BlackTailmon answered jumping off and moving to the water. She didn't know the right way to do a prayer but she closed her eyes and bowed in front of the water.

Takeru looked on from behind. He didn't want to get in the way, but more than that, he had gained and interest in this sage. He had originally wanted to head to the mountain for a point of reference and get a better lay of the land, like the group had done in their first adventure. The fact that he found a Holy Stone caught him completely off guard. More than that, the stone itself felt different from the one that gave him his bangle. The sage that the village spoke of might be more impressive than they think.

BlackTailmon looked like she was having a hard time. He move beside her and patted the top of her head. "How about I give it a try," he gently rubbed. He moved closer to the water and looked at his reflection. He hadn't seen his own face back when he was fighting BlackWarGreymon, but he was aware of the change that occurred. He stared until his image altered in the water. His red iris and the slit pupils were joined by something else. The whites of his eyes, the sclera turned green. The more he focused, the more he could feel a large presence within the water. He could almost see it's reflection.

The rock beneath them started to glow brighter than before. Takeru's digivice also started to give off a green glow. He put his fingers to the water as if directing the light. The ground's light faded, while the water shown in a brilliant green before it flashed brightly in their yes. The light didn't last long as it was soon being covered up by a large beast rising out of the water. The closer the trio looked, the sooner they realized that the monster hadn't been hiding under the water but within it.

Towering over the three was a large tortoise with two heads. Brown plating covered it's two heads, and it's maw was filled with rows of sharp teeth. The most surprising thing besides it's heads was the enormous tree making up it's shell. The tree was just as large as the monster, if not larger. Numerous light brown orbs floated around it's body. They shared the same color of its skin.

What had caught Takeru the most were it's red eyes. The same eyes from the space within the Holy Stone. He had dearly wanted to meet the monsters that got in his way during that time. What were they protecting? It surely wasn't just the Holy Stone.

The giant tortoise looked down at the two digimon and human. It had been a long time since it had seen either in the flesh. It gave a light smile along with a chuckle.

BlackTailmon was stunned to say the least. She couldn't find her voice. Even with it's smiling face, the monster was too intimidating for her. She needed to say something, anything. She needed to find her sister. "…" the words wouldn't leave come mouth.

The tortoise caught on to what the black cat was trying to do. "You need to speak up more than that little miss," his voice boomed. Unbeknownst to the monster, this had the adverse affect on her. BlackTailmon stared at the ground, letting her anxiety take hold of her.

"She would like you to help find her lost sister," Angemon spoke up. He too was slightly intimidated but he didn't feel any ill intent from the tortoise. Only holy power, far grater than his own, radiated from it's body.

"Is that so lad? Well I'll see what I can do for you young people. What does she look like?" The tortoise was really compliant. BlackTailmon looked relieved, though still slightly put off that each head finish a sentence before the other spoke. After giving her information, the tortoise looked over the land for her sister within his pond. "I'm sorry little miss, but it seems your sister is no longer anywhere in the norther sector of our world. BlackTailmon was devastated by the news. "However, don't fret just yet. If your human friend helps me, I may be able to extend my search area." Takeru wordlessly pointed at himself. "Yes, you lad, now get back over to the water."

Takeru walked over to the pond and did as he was instructed. He extended his hand into the water to help widen the search. The beast had said that with his help he'd be able to get a better look into the dark ocean to check there. "How exactly am I able to help you see into the dark ocean?" he finally asked.

"You were the one to usurp Dagomon of the dark ocean. If I hadn't seen it myself, the color of that cloak is proof enough," the tortoise answered. Takeru was shocked that the turtle knew of what happened. The defeat of Dagomon wasn't really spectacular but the way the victory was obtained was. The boy managed to focus his power into one point and cut trough and over bloated darkness. "Don't be so surprised. I'm the best when it comes to water so it's my job to keep at least one set of peepers on that nasty place. I can't see too much, but when you fell in, you stood out like a fish out of water."

Takeru was slightly put off by the irony of that last comment, but brushed it aside. "It sounds like your sight is better than you let on, old timer." The giant tortoise may physically out size him by dozens of feet, but he didn't feel emotional smaller than him.

The tortoise laughed at the boys response, "I'll have you know, I have 20/20/20/18 vision in these eyes of mine. However, you saw all that fog, even a flashlight would have trouble there. Only it's master could search through that place without any trouble, and that so happens to be you now."

Takeru wanted to desperately yell out in shock but held back for BlackTailmon's sake. He kept most of his focus on the water, "Is that why I have this cloak?"

"I said the 'color' was the proof. That cloak is obviously related to that holy binding you have on. It's simply another manifestation of power it's. It means that the power you took from within Qinglongmon's Holy Stone has matured further." The tortoise gave a glace to the boy. "It seems the digimon isn't in the dark world. Let's stretch out the search to the other parts of the digital world."

"Is that something you can only do now that I'm here too?" Takeru vocalized one of many building questions.

"Don't be underestimating me, lad. You just make things easier. Just like you have a connection to us Harmonious Ones, we have a connection to each other."

Even tough they were looking for her sister, BlackTailmon felt like she didn't need to be hearing this conversation. She focused on the water that kept flashing images of locations the two were looking through.

Angemon wasn't fairing much better. He wanted to know about what had happened to Takeru as much as he did. He remembered the conversation from yesterday but it left him even more confused than his partner. He felt Takeru knew more than he had let on. His constant quizzical expressions may not have showed it but the boy was more laid back than he had been all day, at least before his wold hopping.

"So all of you have your own Stones?" Takeru felt like if he didn't squeeze every bit of information out now, he'd lose his chance to every again. "Like the one out side?"

"Yes," the holy beast answered. "Luckily mine aren't being smashed up like Qinglongmon's. The one you found outside however is just a gate to keep out intruders. It didn't have that holy binding on it like a normal Holy Stone. Got four other ones around the mountain. Unlike Qinglongmon I like to stay in one place. My presence also keeps this pond, and the lower river, clean and fresh so that's a bonus."

"Well, aren't you kind? However, is that really all you guys can do when the world is in danger?"

"Lad, our very beings hold this world together." The room was washed with a short silence. "Don't be to hasty yet, you'll get your answers, but first we find the lost little lady." The two of them kept quiet as they focused on the water. Images kept flashing by until they came to a stop. A white cat with a stripped tail showed within the shallow pool of water. "Have we found her?"

"Yes!" BlackTailmon exclaimed. "Where is she?"

The tortoise pondered for a few moments. The white feline was in some sort of large plains. Grass and hills as far as the eyes could see surrounded her. "It seems she is located somewhere in the west. Seeing how it's gotten so late in the day, I'll let you stay the night and give you a more detailed location in the morning."

BlackTailmon wanted to leave as soon as she could but took her benefactor's advice. "Thank you very much." She looked over to Takeru and Angemon with a large smile on her face, "Thank you two as well. I can't begin to express how grateful I am."

Takeru looked over to the feline, "I should be the one thanking you. I didn't think I would run into someone who I really wanted to meet when I woke up today. Thank you."

"You talk as if you've know the sage for a long time, is he a long lost acquaintance of yours? Now that I think about it, I never asked his named, how rude of him." BlackTailmon couldn't hid her embarrassment.

Takeru let out a small chuckle. "Well I wouldn't personally call him a mere sage. He is Xuanwumon, of the four Harmonious Ones." It was dark feline's turn to give him a look of confusion. "Don't worry about it." He smiled up to Xuanwumon, "now, how about you have a real talk with me?" He wanted to get to the bottom of every so why not start with his toughest question. "What did I really gain from within the Holy Stone?"

The giant tortoise stared down with a smile,"To answer that, I must tell you the story of the two dragons." It was a story from long ago, never to be brought to light again but this boy would surely find the answers he desires from it.

* * *

Takeru crashed on to his couch wanting to see if he had better luck sleeping there. Luckily his mother had worked late today, because the sun had gone down and she wasn't home yet. He lied still, not wanting to internalize what happened today.

He had gotten a lot of his questions answered. Why the Harmonious Ones hadn't once helped the chosen or even met with them during their adventures. It must have been tough to be sealed away. He had also learned how the dark towers even held back Xuanwumon, who wasn't even the overseer of the eastern sector of the world. The balance that all of them shared with the world and each other was too annoying for Takeru to wrap his head around. That along with their lack of resistance to dark forces. He had heard of shared responsibility, but that was ridiculous.

He had also learned about why Iori and the others had digivices. Ken was a different story that was 'thankfully abridged', according to Xuanwumon. The holy beasts might not be able to deal with darkness well but they knew how slip though it cracks. He consider the fact that they could place the digieggs a miracles in and of itself.

Yet, that was nothing compared to actual bad things that were happening and causing problems. They things that they and the chosen couldn't do anything about. The lack of Holy Stones in one area combined with the dark towers had cause distortions all over the digital world. That was how BlackTailmon lost her sister in the first place. Any digimon could be sent to the human world, the dark world, or just teleported to another part of the digital world in a moment. Unsuitability was everywhere and it would only get worse before it got better.

Speaking of the dark world, that was an annoying matter all by itself. Even before all of this, it dragged away digimon with great ill feelings of any kind. Anger, sadness, fear, and in his case, frustration. With the towers up, it made it easier for things to slip through from both the human and digital worlds if pushed hard enough. What made it easier for him to cross over was the, "holy binding" he wore.

Xuanwumon said that the situation was better off now that Dagomon was dead. The things that lived there were push overs so they wouldn't become a problem. That, and Xuanwumon's revelation that he was now something of a ruler of the dark ocean. How cliched could it be? You beat the king, so now you rule the throne. That wasn't truly the case but that's what it felt like. What it mostly meant was that no one could directly abuse the power of the ocean for themselves accept for him. He can't believe the giant tortoise suggested that he should try it out.

Finally the thing he wanted to know about the most was the power he'd attained from the Holy Stone. The main thing to take away was that he hadn't gotten raw power, like digivolving Patamon to Mega, but more of an ability. He hadn't told him what it did but what it was. After hearing his story, he could figure out by himself what the power was capable of. The power could only be classified as being different from darkness or light. The only thing he learned for sure was that he had a connection with each of harmonious ones. That meant that he could be effected by their powers and vice versa.

It also meant that he could absorb the data of the digimon he defeated. Their power would flow through the cloak and he could use them to a certain extent. The tortoise said something about separating and combining the powers of dark and light of their digicore but he couldn't really fallow along. The technique was something forgotten by the current digimon but theoretically anyone could do it. It had less to do with the bangle around his arm and more with the fact he was coming closer to being a monster than a boy. It was also the reason why he had Dagomon's power instead of just being connected to the dark world itself. What bothered him was how he didn't seem to have a say in that particular matter.

Takeru looked down at his bangle, that unlike yesterday, fallowed him into the real world. At least the cloak disappeared. What did it mean for this power to mature? What would it truly give him the ability to do? What side effects could it have on Patamon? He looked at his partner who was resting on his stomach. He gave him a light poke only to produce a light snore.

The ring of the telephone snapped his attention to the present. He picked up the phone wondering if it was his late mother.

"Hey Takeru, how are you feeling?" a male voice asked through the receiver.

"Bro? I thought mom would be calling." Takeru answered.

"She working late again?" Yamato asked.

"Later than she said she would be."

"Well, you can take care of yourself, unless you've ran out of food," Yamato added with a laugh.

"Even if I did, there's a convince store just near by."

"But seriously, how are you doing?" A slight bit of concern entered Yamato's voice.

"I'm alright, all those cuts have disappeared," Takeru answered, looking at his bangle.

"Taichi told me about what happened yesterday. Then Iori came by asking about you today; he left a little while ago."

"Why would he go to you? He could just come and see me for himself." Takeru was confused by his young friend's roundabout actions.

"He came to talk about the past." A long pause was shared between the brothers. Yamato heard his brother get up and open a door. "So I told him about Devimon. It seems like he's gotten a better grasp on why you get so riled up."

Takeru looked out to the street from his balcony to find the young boy. "He still could have just came to me." Internally he was glad the young boy hadn't came by today but was still a little worried that he wasn't relied on.

"Not from what I hear. From what Hikari told Taichi, it sounds like you might have scared everyone."

Takeru had finally spotted the young brunette. A flash of remorse passed his eyes as he gazed at the boy. "Sometimes things can't be helped."

"I know." Another quite moment was shared. "But take it from your brother, the enemy may not be the only problem the group or even you may have. Remember that you're all a team and can help each other with _any_ problem."

Takeru turned around and leaned on the balcony's guard, "I know. I believe in everyone. Thanks for calling, bro."

"Anytime little brother. Remember that us older kids can still help out too. Save the world and stay safe."

Takeru canceled the call and draped his hands off the guard. He looked up to the stars that finally started to shine. His mind once again drifting to the _exciting_ day he had. His thoughts again, went to what Xuanwumon had spoken to him. After the story and explanations, he had gave in directions in how to deal with the power he had gained. He had been given a choice on what to do with it. He was asked to do what was best for the digital world

Would that also be what was best for his friends, or even himself? He knew what they were doing wasn't enough, not for him. However, to go as far as he was asked might be too much, at least for his friends. After he gave his answer, the holy beast smiled down upon him and gave him his unyielding support.

Takeru found it odd that he wasn't more bothered by what was specifically asked of him. His own proximity to the problem didn't seem to deter his own motivation. If he was honest with himself, he was even more willing to fight than before. Xuanwumon's last words might have sparked something within him.

He focused one again at the sky. The Clouds had moved to reveal a bright crescent moon. It held it's own darkness while still being lit by the sun. Takeru couldn't help but smirk at the sight. It gave him just a little piece of mind. Even if he chose a different path, he just had to do as he was asked. Whether his opponent was BlackWarGreymon or two great dragons of destruction, he just had to "keep fighting."

 **An: Another chapter has come to an end and once again I winged it. I mean like…. all of it.**

 **Now, I know I say I winged the whole chapter, but stories are an evolving thing. More ideas kept coming in to fit with more guidelines. In the end I wanted a more cohesive story than my original concept or first draft. I love how different things can be from start to finish when you create _anything_!**

 **That being said, this chapter is complete set up. The fact that I got some action and mystery in is a miracle. The only part that kind of bothers me is the large exposition in the last third. I didn't feel like there was need for more dialogue so I just wrote it out as Takeru's reflection. It also let me hide some elements so I can surprise you with _something_ later _._ If you haven't noticed, I'm really straight forward with my writing. It's not bad but it makes it hard to think about what bits of story to hide and how. **

**I've given my feelings about Dagomon in my last story, yet here he is again. People love to bring up the fact that he wasn't the one to originally bring Hikari to the dark ocean. Being slightly petty I decided to play with that idea. It helps that the episode in question starts and ends on him watching the beach, so I used what I could.**

 **The whole thing with the cloak was just a shout out to V-Tamer. It's not like Takeru hates the cloak, he just wants to know why did it appear as a cloak. If there is one thing I love the most, it's the visualization of power. Digimon can just evolve but Takeru needs actual stuff. I've just given him clichés and will continue to do so but small touches like eye color really get me going.**

 **The deal with BlackTailmon is just set up for later. Sure their be a few fight scenes but right now it's just two and unlikely to grow. It did however give me a good lead in for Xuanwumon.**

 **After the last chapter, Takeru had to meet face to face with one the harmonious ones. Xuanwumon is first because of his personality and water abilities that match Dagomon. I wanted to get a very kind old man feel out of him. He is described as the oldest one of the four. There are lots of reasons I didn't have him give the explanation but I felt I got his interactions with Takeru out through finding Tailmon. That, and it would be shorter that way. It also gave me that ending line.**

 **For an almost completely unplanned chapter, it came out pretty well. I hope you enjoyed it and will leave a review. Next time, I hope I'm able to completely deal with BlackWarGerymon.**


	4. Dancing With Dragons

**Chapter 4:**

 **Dancing with Dragons**

The wind blew fiercely as the waves in the sea parted. The once wide sea had been split in halve to bear it's bottom to the open air. What laid at it's bottom was Qinglongmon's sixth Holy Stone. The chosen had enlisted the help of many aquatic digimon but they were helpless against BlackWarGreymon's power. The dark dragon-man landed in the middle of his own self made walkway. He steadily made his way towards the stone, hoping to bring it's master out. As he crept closer, a voice called out and brought him to a halt.

"Please, stop!" Iori yelled as he ran from behind the stone. After hearing the story about how Takeru saw Angemon die from Yamato, he had decided this would be his last stand. He didn't want anyone to get hurt over senseless violence anymore. He knew BlackWarGreymon had a heart, so he didn't want to fight him. He had to get through to the digimon no matter what the cost. "Please, don't destroy the Holy Stone."

BlackWarGreymon was surprised, to say the least. While he had only destroyed one other Holy Stone after the fight with the blonde human, the other children had sought out more help. Yet, they themselves seemed more reserved in their attacks. They didn't give off the same feeling as the other boy, so he never expected to be stood up to like this by them. However, just like the last boy, this one would not stand in his way either. "If you don't want to die, move," he gave the child a straight forward warning.

"I wont," Iori stood his ground with Armadillomon at his side.

The other chosen were once again shocked by one of their friends. Had Takeru's recklessness rubbed off on Iori? What would possess him to stand up to BlackWarGreymon? The black dragon-man had beaten their digimon countless times, along with their friend who was still resting at home. They could only bite their nails in stress over the boy's life. Once again, the proximity to the enemy kept them from helping a friend in need. Takeru had gotten really lucky _and_ weird powers, unless the small boy could do the same, he might not make it back to them alive.

"Even through you were born from dark towers, you still possess a heart like any other living thing. That must mean, there is some good inside of you. Find it in your heart not to destroy the Holy Stones. If you do, then the balance between the worlds wont be destroyed" Iori just had to dig deep into the dark warrior's soul and pull out the good deep inside.

"I will not stop, child. My will tells me that I must fight the one hiding behind those stones," he lifted his repaired claw at the stone before him. "If I stop now, I won't be staying true to myself. I won't be finishing what I set out to do. Wasn't your friend who fought me the same? He was truly strong, and the stone gave him that power. If it could make that fight as interesting as it was, then I can't even image the foe waiting fro me once I drag their master out."

Iori could feel something burning within him. Hearing Takeru be compared to BlackWarGreymon didn't seem to sit right with him. "Takeru might have gained an amazing power from that stone but he's not as selfish as you are. He wouldn't put other people in danger, or destroy large areas of the world just to fight someone. He's always worrying about others, even someone like you _and_ me! If you really admire him, then become more selfless like he is. Please, think of others and don't destroy the Holy Stone!"

"Think of others…?" BlackWarGreymon had never truly done that. Not in a way where he didn't want to destroy the one he was thinking of. He thought back to the Agumon he had once meet. The blond also popped into his mind. Finally, he faced the boy who was staring him down. Thinking about it, each had brought forth different feelings within him. Sadly the only one that felt right to him was the blond's. It was something familiar to him on a personal level. He had communicated in a way he knew how to respond to.

His eyes stayed glued to the child before him. A familiar feeling washed over him. One he had felt for something that couldn't even speak back to him. For a flower he had protected from a control spire digimon. Why would that memory float back now? The boy was just standing there, in his way, just like the blonde that came before him, yet he couldn't deny the difference. What did these humans possesses to stop him cold in his tracks?

"It doesn't matter what you say or want," the dragon-man yelled. "If you don't move I will kill you," he rose both of his claws as a warning.

"I wont! I don't think you really want to hurt me and I don't want to hurt you either!" Iori stood his ground. He glared at the digimon before him hoping to change it's mind.

BlackWarGreymon couldn't believe he was hesitating once again to the glare of a child. It was just as sharp as the blond's, but completely different at the same time. He couldn't feel any threat to his life. Was this also a power of the heart, or was it his own? He hadn't asked for one. If this irritating hesitations was what it meant to have a heart, then he didn't want any part of it. To prove he didn't need one, he would strike the boy before him down.

Iori watched as the dark dragon-man let out a soul crushing roar and charge straight at him. He could only glare in defiance as he watched his coming demise. Armadillomon's words were lost to him as he couldn't focus on anything else.

He was so absorbed, he could hardly feel himself be lifted from the ground. His eyes were still glued to BlackWarGreymon, as he watched the digimon strike the dirt where he once stood. He watched as the dragon-man turned to keep up with his sudden move movement. The constant movement in the dark digimon's eyes made him final realize that he had been rescued. He looked up and found that Angemon was holding him in one of his arm and Armadillomon in the other. If Angemon was here, then that meant….

Takeru looked down from atop the cliff at the scene before him with disappointment on his face. He watched silently in his normal digital world attire and new bangle. He had thought that both Iori and BlackWarGreymon would have acted better. He watched as Angemon landed beside him holding Iori and Armadillomon. He really wanted to say something to the young boy but it would have to wait. He looked back down at BlackWarGreymon, who stared back at him, seemingly waiting for something.

"I'm not fighting you today, if that's what you're wondering," the blond yelled form high atop the cliff. He looked down at his friends at the base of the mountain to check if they were also alright. "We should get out of here, it looks like we lost today," he called out to them.

"And you," Takeru pointed to the still staring BlackWarGreymon, "there's still one more Holy Stone left. I'll be sure to show you how strong your darkness really is there," he gave a sly thumbs down. The stone responded with a flash. The still water was brought crashing down to it's natural resting place. He jumped on the back of Angemon and the four sped off to the digital gate. "You all should hurry up and leave," he yelled back to the others.

The other chosen shook off their surprise to focus on the speeding boys. As soon as they had registered what was spoken, the sea started to form a whirlpool. BlackWarGreymon shot out from the middle and took towards a different direction from the others. They realized what had been done and quickly called their partners to come and pick them up. They too, sped off as watery tornadoes formed on the once calm sea's surface.

* * *

The kids soon made it back to he computer room. They were once again in a pile on the floor, most likely as a result of their haste. Daisuke was the first to pry himself from the human stress ball.

"Jeez Takeru, if you were gonna show up, you could have at least came earlier. We might have beaten him that time," Daisuke sighed in disappointment of their failed plan. "Or maybe at least tell us you were coming."

"I don't think he's here Motomiya," Ken said as he picked himself off of the floor.

"Iori isn't here either," Miyako added straightening out her glasses.

"Do you think they might have not gone to the gate?"

"Well, him and Iori made a straight B-line for it. I don't see why he would head for it and pass it right by." The glasses girl thought back to what happened a few days ago when two people didn't gate back with the group. "What do you think Hikari?"

Hikari was sitting in a chair looking at her D-terminal. She was so absorbed that she couldn't help but flinch, when Miyako waved her hand in front of her face. "I'm sorry, what did you ask?" Hikari couldn't hide her blush.

"Where do you think Takeru took Iori?"

"I don't really know," Hikari answered while pulling out her digivice. She gave it a few clicks until colorful dots popped up on the screen. There was a large mass around the middle and two, lone yellow and green dots off to the left corner. She waved the device to her left at the window that faced the beach across the street. "They must be talking at the beach."

"I see," Miyako stated looking at the girl's digivice. "Well…. what do you think their talking about?"

"Probably about BlackWarGreymon." Hikari could only sit and think about the number of things the two would say to each other.

"I hope Iori got that silly idea of talking to BlackWarGreymon out of his head. I can't believe he did something so dangerous."

"Yeah, but you got admit, that took some guts," Daisuke cut in. "I didn't think the little guy had it in him."

"I'm more surprised that Takaishi showed up," Ken thought aloud. "Someone like him would send a message first."

"I wonder about that too," Hikari added back to typing with her D-terminal. "I couldn't make connect to his D-terminal at all yesterday or earlier today. It just started working now."

"For a guy who should have spent two whole days at home, he somehow disappeared into thin air. I had to deliver his homework to him yesterday after we left Daisuke's because _someone_ ," Miyako glared at the boy with the goggles, "forget to deliver it to him. No one seemed to be home so I left it in their mail slot."

A slight unease settled inside the room. The things to worry about seemed to be piling on. They only had one more chance to stop BlackWarGreymon from destroying another Holy Stone. The room was dead silent until a large rumble was heard. It was quickly fallowed by another and then a chorus of hungry stomachs stated to harmonize in the room. The children looked down at their digimon who started chiming about food.

"It looks like we got a bunch hungry digimon on our hands. There's still a good bit of light out. How about we all make a quick run to Ai-Mart?" Miyako brought up.

"Always trying to make a sell, huh?" Hikari lightly laughed at her DNA partner.

"I don't know, I should be getting home," Ken interjected, ready to decline.

"It'll be fine as long as we run, wont it?" Daisuke pointed out. "I'm sure Leafmon would love a snack for the trip back." He convinced his friend into coming while pushing him towards the door behind Miyako.

"We have to hurry if we are going to pick up Takeru and Iori at the beach." Hikari chased after her friends.

Down at the beach two boys looked out into the ocean. They had been talking for sometime, trying to figure each other out. There digimon played in the sand and with the waves. They had run out of words that tip-toed around the subject. Neither boy wanted to brake the silence but they knew it couldn't last.

Iori felt that it was his turn to speaks, seeing as Takeru had just given the last words. He still couldn't comprehend the things the blond had said to him, so he just regurgitated them back into a question. "If there is no good or evil in life, why did you try so hard to take BlackWarGreymon's away."

"Because he was destroying the world," Takeru stated bluntly. "I may have a bias against the darkness but that doesn't mean I kill just for the fun of it. I don't even really hate darkness itself. Light or dark, if it threatens the world, I will destroy it."

Iori knew his friend wasn't wrong but he didn't feel like he was wrong either. "Isn't that a little extreme? Can't you just stop them without killing. What if they were just like Ichijouji? You said you wouldn't had killed him."

Takeru looked back out to the ocean, "true, that's were that 'bias' pops up. I'll admit that I find it easier to kill a digimon that will just comeback to life, than a human that wont. It's not that I don't care, but it's that I seem care too much. In all honesty I do think BlackWarGreymon is just confused. I guess the thing that really motivates me is that he's willing to kill me if he has to. I seem to just naturally respond to that."

Iori turned his gaze to the ocean as well. It seemed that Takeru empathized with BlackWarGreymon in a completely different way than he did. He still didn't understand the idea of killing your opponent. It went against everything he had ever been taught. "I don't think I'll be able to do it," he thought out loud. He knew how it felt for a life to be lost, he couldn't imagine being the cause of such sadness.

"Don't worry about that," Takeru assured. "I'm sure if it ever happens, you won't be focusing on killing at the moment. Your really kind, so I'm sure you'll be more focused on helping someone instead." Takeru didn't want to lie to him about how far the boy might have to go in the future, but he also wanted to reassure him that there was going to be a meaning for it.

"That being said, sometimes you can be too kind," Takeru had finally found the perfect time to lecture the boy on his conduct at the Holy Stone. "What were you thinking when you faced BlackWarGreymon?"

Iori could only look away from the blond boy. "I…. wanted to stop him from destroying the Holy Stones without having to fighting him." He couldn't help but awkwardly clasp his hands together, "You promised that you wouldn't kill him if I got him to stop."

"I don't remember that promise including you putting yourself in danger like that. Do you even know why I'm so upset?"

"I thought that if I did the same thing as you, I could get him to listen to me. I'm sorry, for being so careless," Iori apologized.

"Wrong!" Takeru buzzed. "Iori, the thing you did was very brave, the problem was that you weren't willing to fight. Fighting your enemy doesn't mean you want to kill them. More than that, you have to at least be willing to protect yourself."

Takeru's words echoed in his mind. He glared at the ground. His grandfather had said something similar to him when he first started learning kendo, albeit to a less aggressive extent. He couldn't believe he was acting so foolishly. He had even put Armadillomon in danger with his selfishness. He was about to tear up when he felt a hand pat his head. He looked over to find Takeru smiling at him.

"You really are too kind for your own good. But that's fine, you don't have to change right away. I'm sure you've figured it out, but the two of use will become DNA partners," Takeru looked back out to the sea, still consoling his friend. "It seems like the partnership is born by the two making up for each other's shortcomings. That's why I'll become both your sword and your shield to support you."

Iori was more than a little surprised. Takeru had just told him that he would fight for and protect him so that they could help the others. He had thought that whenever Takeru would come back, he would be left behind; the blond would chose to fight with his own Ultimate digimon. Why would he hold himself back like that? Even if his own partner wasn't much when compared to the others, that would still be on extra digimon instead of just having three Ultimates. "What could I possibly do for you, Takeru?" Iori looked up to the blond.

"Me? Well, I think that my moral compass might have became slightly skewed," Takeru sheepishly grinned. "I just need you to keep being yourself and keep me in line. You don't want me killing BlackWarGreymon now, do you?"

"But you said that you'd do it anyway if I couldn't get him to stop," Iori gasped.

"I know I did, but you ended up giving such a halfhearted try. I can't just let that sit. We'll see how far your way goes by working together. If it doesn't work, I'll just have to kill him by myself, so you better not slack off this time." Takeru didn't even try to hide the huge grin on his face.

Iori was in awe of the boy in front of him. The person who seemed to want to destroy BlackWarGreymon the most would willing hold himself back for his sake. The more he thought about Takeru, the more he felt he couldn't live up to his expectation. He had only been asked to be himself but he knew how far that had got him just earlier that day.

Iori tried to shake those thoughts from his head. Not just Takeru, but the others, the entirety to two worlds were depending on him. His DNA partner trusted him so why shouldn't he. Iori looked the blond boy in the eyes and made a promise. "I won't let you down," he said with conviction.

He watched as Takeru smiled back to him. Their moment had came to it's end when they heard the others run by, yelling about going to the Ai-Mart. The two boys glanced at each other before grabbing their partners and running to catch up to the others. Iori still had some worries but he knew he could always count on his friends to pull him through.

* * *

Iori was right, together they somehow stopped BlackWarGreymon. They had all used their digivices to release Qinglongmon from the Holy Stone. The gigantic, blue dragon digimon had easily stopped his smaller adversary. The two dragons just stayed still watching each other.

"Thank you," BlackWarGreymon said to the large Chinese styled dragon. "You've told me that even my life has meaning." He look towards the chosen children, "even if that meaning is to be hated." He started making his way by the children only to stop to look down to the blond that had given him so much trouble. Even when his digimon partnered up with another, it still put him at a great disadvantage.

Takeru looked up and couldn't help but glare at the dark dragon-man in front of him. He had kept his promise to both Hikari and Iori but the whole situation didn't sit right with him. They had still lost in the end and there were still more things to be done. He wouldn't let this fight end just yet.

"No, I'm not going to kill you, if that's what you're wondering," the blond answered the digimon's unasked question. "Who could kill something so pathetic?" he let his frustrations slip out. He surprised everyone when he brushed past the large digimon and made his way to the soup spring. "I told you I'd show you how strong your darkness truly is. Stay right there and get ready to really fight Qinglongmon."

Everyone was once again caught of guard by the boy's words. What was he thinking? They had just stopped BlackWarGreymon from destroying the last Holy Stone for goodness' sake. Before, everyone could at least fallow his line of thought of going to an extreme, but this didn't make any sense. No one could read what was on the boy's mind.

The only one who remained calm was the blue dragon in question. He watched as the boy kneeled by the pond. "Xuanwumon asked you to do this, right?" he asked the boy.

Takeru lightly placed his palm to the water, "actually he just wanted me to talk to you. He's a bit too optimistic if you ask me." Takeru had seemed to calm down from his past mood. His expression had become more stoic.

"He's more easy going than optimistic, if you ask me. You seem to understand that I wouldn't agree to what you have chosen to do. If handled poorly, you run the risk of covering this world in a darkness worse than those spires or even the Dark Masters."

The pond started to glow with bright blue light. "Well, you can't blame a guy for wanting to take a more productive role than just maintaining the balance of a world." The Holy Stone's golden ring floated to the top of the pond's soup. "There's no point in maintaining something you can't actually protect yourself." The golden piece shrunk in size and found it's way to Takeru's right wrist. "You don't mind if I borrow this?" He asked knowing it didn't matter. "I'd rather not put on the silly cloak in front of them."

"What we do is very important. He agreed to a plan that is reckless and puts the entire world at risk. There was a reason that we all tried to stop you within the Holy Stone. You'll awaken a being of destruction if you keep walking down this path."

Takeru's iris gained a familiar red, "then I guess you'll just have to stop me." His sternness had finally completely set in. Just like the time at Xuanwumon's pond, the whites of his eyes changed. This time however, blue washed over them. He turned back to BlackWarGreymon, "have you prepared yourself?"

The black dragon-man was stunned. What had caused that change? They boys aggressive demeanor had been subdued greatly, but he still retained that deadly sharpness. What had just happened here? "Why do you fight the one you were trying to protect?" He could only think aloud for everyone present.

"You have to look at things with more than just your eyes," Takeru stated dryly. "Things can change at the drop of a hat. Even then, my main focus was to stop you from destroying the Holy Stones. Whatever I did to him had nothing to do to you. Well, that was before you tossed Shakkoumon into the dirt. There's no way I can fight that giant monster on my own, so I need your help now."

The black digimon could only look down to the ground. "I've already been beaten. There's no way we could win against him," he said solemnly.

"Jeez, for a guy with such pride, you sure did give up easily. Are you really alright with how that fight ended? You struggled so hard against us. You better not show me such a halfhearted fight this time."

BlackWarGreymon looked up to the blond staring at him. A look of questioning laid within his eyes. Was he really going to let things end that easily? Did the fact that he had found out that even he had a reason to exist appease him that much? If it did, then why did he still feel like he was empty? "You'll even fight with me?" He asked.

"That's what I said. I have something to gain from this too. It's a simple give and take," Takeru stared. BlackWarGreymon nodded in agreement and the blond made his way back to the others. He looked over all of them and gave an exaggerated bow. "I'm really sorry, and you guys must have a ton of questions, but this is something I _need_ to do right now."

The others looked at each other to see if someone else could make out what was going on. Quizzical faces were shared all around. No one knew what to say, they all just stared at the boy who seemed to almost be speaking a different language to them. What slightly snapped them out of the stupor, was that their digimon who had already split apart and reverted to their lower forms. They were floating over to them.

"Allow me to return them to you so you all may move to safety," Qinglongmon spoke. All of the children grabbed their digimon as Tokomon landed on Iori's head. Takeru took off his hat and placed it on the digimon's head to make sure he didn't lose another one.

"I may not know why, but do you really have to do this?" Iori had finally found his voice.

For the first time since his change, Takeru let out an incredibly gentle smile. "I told you before that fighting someone didn't mean that you have to kill your enemy." He looked to the dragon within the clouds "the two of us know that talking wont really get us anywhere. Besides I'm sure there's something he wants to check out for himself." He gave them all a small grin that highlighted a slight sharpness gained by his teeth, "don't worry."

A light blue wall that matched the gigantic digimon's aura, separated the group from their blond friend. When they touched it, they were given a slight jolt. It stated to move towards them and it forced them to back away. "This is only to keep you safe," the blue dragon added. "I assume your friend doesn't want you all to get involved as well."

"Thank you," Takeru turned back to the dragon that coiled around the clouds in the sky.

The others muttered amongst themselves. Takeru had to have know something they didn't, but why would it involve fighting such an obviously holy creature? It had seemed like he had reverted to his past kind self just a few minutes ago. He had even managed to DNA digivolve with Iori, yet in just a few words, he had instigated a fight and had gotten BlackWarGreymon to battle along side him. Even the holy digimon had agreed to it, even though it was so dismissive to the black dragon-man's own attack. They had no idea what was going on and now they couldn't even do anything about it.

"I'm interested in what you've gained from Xuanwumon. Seeing how you're at a great disadvantage, I'll allow you to make the first move," Qinglongmon instructed the two.

BlackWarGreymon looked down to the boy who had came to his side. "I assume you have a strategy," the black digimon wondered.

Takeru threw a serious look his way, "just rush him like you did before." He was given a glare that he had expected. "It'll be fine, trust me. Just remember that feeling you had when you beat all of our digimon into the ground. This time, direct those feelings towards Qinglongmon instead of screaming at the world around you."

BlackWarGreymon thought back to that moment. He had solely focused on destroying the Holy Stone. Only focused on driving away that empty feeling inside him. While he did have an objective, those feelings were focused only on himself. The only other time he had focused his feelings purely on overcoming his opponent was when he fought this boy and his partner. Maybe that was the clue?

Listening to the boy's advice he quickly took to the air. This was his first time he was fighting with someone else and he was given such little information. He readied his Dremon Destroyers and braced for the light that he was sure to come again.

Takeru watched both figures and noticed Qinglongmon's hand movements. It was time to put to the test what Xuanwumon had told him. He reached out with his right hand a grasped at Qinglongmon's image as if to crush him. The bangle on his right glowed with a pale dark shine.

Qinglongmon was about to fend off BlackWarGreymon like before until he felt something grip his body. It was as if the chains that were circling his entire body had become extremely tighter. He could feel some sort of dark force take hold of his body. He was too preoccupied to notice how close the dark dragon-man had gotten. He took a full force attack of the Dremon Destroy to his face mask. It was something he could deal with but was much stronger than he had anticipated.

BlackWarGreymon was shocked that he had made it through. He had noticed that he now held a cretin dark aura around him. It was just a different from the one that grasped the blue dragon but it was just a soft. He didn't waste this chance to keep up the attack. He gave a quick back and forth between his right and left.

Qinglongmon didn't lose focus. He knew exactly what was going on and how to put a stop to it. He rose up past BlackWarGreymon to hide his face within the clouds. Before the black dragon-man could pursue, he sent down two bolts of lightning. One struck BlackWarGreymon and sent him plummeting towards the ground. He only reappeared when the digimon had crash landed.

BlackWarGreymon slowly got to his feet. That shock reminded him of his fight with the boy. He looked over to see how his make sift partner was doing. The blond was gripping at his right arm that looked to be in pain.

Takeru caught the digimon looking at him. "Don't worry about it. It's just a bit numb. It's no where near as bad as that Terra Destroyer I took before," he reassured. "How about we do the same as him? Burn his position in your eyes and get ready to attack." Takeru lifted up his left arm to the sky and took deep breaths. This time, he would use a different type of power. He still couldn't us attacks to their fullest potential but he could still make use of them. The bangle on his left, gave off a pale green light.

Everyone watched as a thick mist started to gather within the barrier. With in a few seconds nothing could be seen within from both inside and out. The only thing that could be felt was a chill that ran through the air. The chosen, even Arukenimon and Mummy, waited for the first attack.

They were all greeted with a familiar whirling sound. The mist started to spin along the barrier before they saw it shoot up into the sky. They were once again witnessing an inverted tornado that was much grater in size compared to the last. Comparing it to it's colossal target, there was no way it could miss hitting him.

What they saw next caused them to cover their faces. A bright light rained down and instantly dissipated the mist. Qinglongmon still rested in the clouds unmoved. They looked down to find both Takeru and BlackWarGreymon laying on the ground. They watched as the two struggled to get to their feet.

As the two tried to rise further, they were assaulted again with another bright light. It was as if gravity itself was against them. BlackWarGreymon glanced over at the boy who he assumed would be crushed buy such power. He was shocked to find that the child was doing better than he was. He looked closer and notice the boy was enveloped in a dark aura, much like his own. He also notice that the boy was muttering something to himself.

Takeru slowly got to his feet. He kept muttering the same three words, "more… anger… sadness…" The darkness started to spreed to the space around him.

Qinglongmon saw what was happening and decided to put a stop to it. He wrapped the boy in his chains that constantly sent an electric current through them. He saw the boy grit his teeth but the darkness wouldn't stop.

He decided to swing the blond against the barrier that kept their fight from getting too out of hand. When the boy touched the barrier he let out an agonizing yell. The current in the chains mixed with the one form the barrier and made a potent combination.

His friends watching could almost feel the pain in his cries. They were really worried after the first lighting bolt had hit him but he seemed to have shook it off. This however looked like it was too much to bare. Hikari could only remember what he had told her about being in the Holy Stone. Was it that bad even then?

Takeru was yanked from the blue field and hit the ground face first with a painful grunt. BlackWarGreymon rushed towards the boy. Images of the lonely flower in the desert ran through is mind. He garbed the boy who was still mutter to himself, "More anger…. More sadness…. More darkness." he watched as the blue in the boy's eyes turn jet black. "This time I'll show you, a different power born from within the darkness"

The blond jerked away from BlackWarGreymon to stand on his own. The dark aura started to distort the area around his body even more. The scenery around him tuned a dark gray and looked like the fuzz on a television. The chains started to phase out with a static like appearance. Qinglongmon retracted his chain before the distortion made it's way to him. The boy stood unbound staring up to the gigantic dragon, with an almost inhuman look his eyes.

While the children were watching their friend's back, they were perplexed at what was happening. This time however, only Hikari and Ken could feel the coming chill. Their spines shivered at the recognizable distortion in space. They couldn't take their eyes off the blond causing it. They didn't know if their anxiety came from fear for the boy or for themselves.

Takeru, once again rose his darkened right bangle to the blue digimon and ordered an attack. Qinglongmon was ready to strike down with his light once more. He unleashed it's holy rays only to find both attackers undeterred. He was once again met with the sharp end of the Dremon Destroyers. This attack seemed to hurt more that the last. Qinglongmon wondered how Takeru could manipulate the darkness this well with in such a shot time.

The boy's mind was running faster than it ever had at the moment. Takeru had to keep a strong grip on the darkness he was using to make sure he wouldn't drown in it. His own darkness may be the trigger, but it was still connected to something sinister that wasn't truly his. It would take any chance to devour his mind. He just had to keep his focus on what was at hand. He watched as BlackWarGreymon was starting to have a harder time fighting off the light.

"It doesn't matter if you're a being of darkness or light," Takeru rose his shining green bangle again. "The only thing that matters is what you're feeling right now," the black slowly started to leave his eyes. "Even in darkness, there's a power that can be found. Use your own feelings to surpass both the darkness and the light," his eyes were now piratically shining.

Qinglongmon was quite astonished, to say the least. He knew the boy was cable of holding immense power, as he had once demonstrated within the Holy Stone, but this was outrageous. He was juggling the power's he had gained both from Dagomon and Xuanwumon at the same time. Had he took the ring from this area's stone to keep them in check? Or could it be the power of the _world_?

The gigantic dragon was snapped out of his thoughts by another attack from BlackWarGreymon. The once wakened attacks came back stronger than ever. It felt as if each hit was getting stronger than the last. They were really starting to pile up. If he didn't do anything quickly, he might actually lose. He focused on the dark dragon-man who's own aura seemed to be changing as well. He quickly wrapped the digimon in chains and flung him at his support.

BlackWarGreymon crashed into his temporary partner and the two fell to the ground. He slowly got to his feet thinking about how he could win against such a strong opponent. This was the second time he was pushing himself past his limits for today and he could only seem to feel excitement. He had never felt this good about fighting, even thought it was the only thing that he felt suited him. Did the need of finding the answers about his life, weigh that much on his mind?

The black digimon had been doing as instructed and focusing on his inner rage and sorrow. He could only feel an emptiness that kept filling up as he kept fighting. Had he really been this simple of a monster? He had finally understood that just fighting the strong was truly enough for him. If this was the purpose of his life, then he would gladly accept it. He looked down at the one who had inadvertently helped him find his life's meaning. The boy was hunched over on his knees bracing the ground.

Arukenimon and Mummymon watched as their dark spire creation was about to stir the boy from his rest until he abruptly stopped. They watched as the dark digimon looked to the sky. They too rose their vision and were greeted by even darker clouds that were only within the barrier. With in seconds, their ears were picking up a heavy rain that only spanned the interior of the shield. Had that god of a digimon have more tricks up it's sleeves? They didn't know what they would do if they lost their strongest asset; even if they couldn't control him.

The cause of this current isolated shower finally rose to his feet. He rustled his now wet blond hair and looked up at the falling water. "I don't think I'll every get the hang of using digimon attacks," he sighed to the sky. "Oh, it looks like you've gotten more serious as well," Takeru commented on the black digimon's appearance. The once dreary dark aura that the digimon carried had started to sparkle. It's darkness shined as if it was almost light itself.

BlackWarGreymon also observed the boy who had also made yet another change. The black and blue that he had once held in his eyes had turned green. This time however, his pupils shown in the same color. The mix it made with his red iris seemed just as natural as the other colors. What shocked him more were the boy's teeth. They had been sharp before, but now they looked more jagged, like a saw or some sort of sea beast. This look didn't seem to match the almost relaxed expression that now graced the once serious boy's face.

"Don't look so uptight now," Takeru grinned. "You're enjoying yourself, aren't you? Come on, it's about time for the last assault."

Qinglongmon's curiosity had finally been answered. The boy had been connecting to so many different forces that he hadn't been able to notice. The blond had finally acclimated to Xuanwumon's powers. He still couldn't seem to use them perfectly, but he had resonated with the Holy Beast of the north.

He couldn't believe that Xuanwumon would give the boy his power that easily. He knew of what the two were planing and he didn't want to be apart of it. Hadn't they all agreed to put their trust into the chosen children that had gained the digimentals? He knew that they all had their own way of handling things but this was too much of a risk. How had that boy changed the mind of the oldest of the Harmonious Ones?

Qinglongmon's thoughts were again interrupted by the shining dark digimon coming to attack him. This time he sent down bolts of lighting to fend off his attacker. As they were still attacks, they could be dodged but his main aim was to just keep the dragon-man distracted.

Back on the ground, Takeru was fairing off much worse than the ones in the air. Lightning kept striking within feet of his location. He couldn't help but jerk away from the flashes that erupted near his face. The cracking of the air around him along with the bright light, disoriented him enough that he lost his own positioning. He kept jerking from left to right and, backwards and forwards to the lighting's will.

While the battle hadn't been as physically taxing as the fight he had with BlackWarGreymon, the mental strain was much grater. Even without touching him the lighting strikes almost fried his senses. Senses, that already had to put up with managing the different powers he was using. Dealing with the constant threat of electrocution wasn't helping.

He looked to BlackWarGreymon to see that he was still dodging lighting strikes. If they wanted to win, they'd have to hit Qinglongmon with his strongest attack. The only problem was that they didn't have the time. He had already thought of a small plan but he'd have to work in perfect sync with the dark digimon. He may have been able to support the monster but working together like he did with MagnaAngemon would be impossible.

One strike almost caught him off guard but we was able to dodge backwards. What he hadn't noticed, was the space between him and the barrier. Once again, his back brushed against the blue electric field. The dampness he had acquired made the shock just as bad as the first one. As he felt he limbs turn numb, he was struck with inspiration. If he couldn't complete his own connection with BlackWarGreymon, then he would be the conductor for another.

Takeru struggled to fish his digivice out of his right pocket. His right hand shook as he rose it up to BlackWarGreymon. He couldn't get a good lock with his hand shaking as bad as it was. "Stay still!" he grunted as he steadied is right arm with his left hand. As he focused on the black dragon-man, his right bangle shown from black to blue. "BlackWarGreymon!" he yelled, "Terra Destroyer!" A flash of blue washed over the entire area.

The onlookers slightly covered their eyes as the blue light over took them. The only one who could make out things perfectly was Arukenimon. She saw the boy raise his digivice and watched as a blue dragon made of pure electricity shoot out towards the black dragon-man who was charging his attack. She watched as it devoured it's target but it didn't destroy him. From what she could see, the dark warrior had absorbed the energy but wasn't doing anything to him at all. The pure sight however made the gigantic Mega digimon stop it's attack once again.

Qinglongmon was just as blown away as everyone else. His shock however, came from what the boy was actually doing. The child was using the barrier's electricity and acting as a conductor to send the Mega's own powers through the digivice, to the black aggressor. He watched as his barrier recede into the blond and into the dark dragon-man. Even if the dark digimon had some of his power, that wouldn't be enough to protect him for his lighting bolts. The blue dragon sent down another to stop the attack.

BlackWarGreymon's Terra Destroyer took the attack head on and collected the electric energy. He was surprised he could even fully absorb the attack, yet he felt he could take another. He remembered the last attack he had received from the angel and condensed the heated orb into a smaller compact form. That would focus the energy onto itself instead of letting it leak onto him like the first time he had ever received a lighting attack.

Takeru could only pant at thinking about how much electricity that had literally just ran through his body. He could only grin at the thought of this risky plan starting to pay off. It was now or never if he was planing to win this.

He released a calming breath as he stretched his left hand out to the soup pond. The bangle flashed green with the twist of his palm facing the sky. With the yell of, "Dragon Wave," and a lift of his forearm, a brown dragon of holy soup sprung from the pond and flew to the skies.

The soupy dragon fallowed the movement's of the boy's left arm. As he focused on the blue monster and tightened his grip, the soup dragon bit down on it's target. With a tug that pulled his arm to his side, the soup dragon pulled the blue beast downward.

It was incomplete but the boy could still use Xuanwumon's strongest attack. It was only about a fourth as powerful, but it still sent chills along Qinglongmon's scales. He struggled with the attack but still didn't lose focus on the things around him. He sent down another strike of lighting at BlackWarGreymon who was still readying his attack.

This would be the third attack that BlackWarGreymon's Terra Destroyer would be taking. He didn't think he would have lasted this long. He was prepared for his attack to break apart when he noticed that he didn't feel anything coming. In fact, he noticed that even the rain had stopped falling. He looked up to see large amounts of water swirling above him in and uncompleted sphere. As the lighting struck through the water, it dissipated until only a little spark hit his attack.

The dark warrior looked back to the blond to find him now, reaching out with his right hand at the space where the water spun. He made eye contact with the boy and saw him flick his eyes upward. He quickly caught on and flung his orb into the circling water.

The water enclosed the sparking, heated orb into it's own electrified, watery sphere. It's red core shown through the water like a sunset through a window. The constant sparks of electricity that dressed the core and ran randomly on water only accented it's power. It was as breathtaking as it was destructive.

Qinglongmon watched in silence at the scene before him. He had not expected for things to reach this far. He had not expected the boy to be a link between the black dragon-man and himself. He certainly hadn't expected for his own power to be used against him like this.

He watched BlackWarGreymon, who had drastically changed from the dark digimon that instantly rushed him when they had met just minutes ago. The digimon had not only found his own source of power but even allowed another to aid him.

That's when the blue dragon's eyes looked down to the boy that had started it all. It was unbelievable to think he could manage so many different power's at one time. He had brought out BlackWarGreymon's dark potential with his words and used his own body as an example. He had used Dagomon's darkness and Xuanwumon's power of water multiple times. The thing that amazed him the most was that he had used his own darkness as a trigger just so he could use them to the best of his ability. Finally was the use of the barrier to make a better connection to BlackWarGreymon through the holy dragon himself.

Right at that moment, the boy caught eyes with the holy dragon. The dragon could see them spark with a familiar golden light. A light that could lead to the destruction of the entire digital world if used poorly. While the boy had proven himself dozens of times over in this fight, he didn't want to let go of his own pride. He had been the one to push for the chosen children to save their world and he would stand by it. They had already proven themselves as well, and he didn't want their efforts, or his beliefs to be wasted.

Qinglongmon let out a mighty roar and shook off the brown soupy dragon that fell back into the pond. If the boy and dragon-man were going to give more than even their bests to fight him, the least he could do was hit them with his strongest attack. He circled himself within the clouds and a light shown down onto the land beneath him. It's was as if a spotlight had shined is rays down on to two main characters for their final climatic moment.

Takeru and BlackWarGreymon watched as their enemy generated energy their own attack. They would have loved to have sent theirs out already but they were having a hard enough time keeping it from falling apart. It was as fragile as it was powerful. It infinitely surpassed something that could only destroy the ground beneath it. At the signal of, "Now!" BlackWarGreymon threw the powerful orb to the clouds.

Together, both boy and digimon shouted the name of their combined attack, "Void Generator!"

It touched the shining clouds with a great force. It tried to fight through the gathered energy but the attack could never full push through. The boom of, "Aurora Force!" cause a flash to engulf the whole area. Everyone on the ground had to brace themselves with whatever was closest to them not be blown away by the clashing forces.

When the light died down everyone looked up to find the gigantic, blue dragon resting, once again covered by clouds. It looked a little worse for wear but it still carried it's dignified presence. Their eyes quickly, fell and started scanning for the boy and the dark warrior. They didn't have to look far because they stood practically where the fight had began. At least Takeru was still standing even if his head was hung, panting. BlackWarGreymon was lied out on his back, also out of breath. The two's exhaustion was the most audible thing in the forest.

Takeru looked over to his dark partner with the sclera of his eyes once again blue and his teeth less sharp. "It feels good, doesn't it?" he huffed.

BlackWarGreymon turned his head to the boy. He saw that his eyes had once again become stoic but a grin still graced his lips. They had suffered a complete loss and the kid could still make that kind of face. "It's not _too_ bad," he exhaled. The dark dragon-man slowly got to his feet and stared down at the boy. "You once again, have my thanks," he looked up to the gigantic Mega digimon, "both of you. More so than just knowing I have one, I'm closer to knowing what my purpose for existing truly is."

"Then what are you planing on doing now?"

BlackWarGreymon looked towards the sky with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I may now know _what_ I'm doing, but I want to really understand _why_. I still have many questions, but I'm now on the right path." The dark dragon-man rose into the air. "I can't say that we won't be fighting each other the next time we meet, however no matter what, I'll be looking forward to the next time that we do." With a spirit filled yell, he broke through the clouds, off to find a reason for his future battles.

"Well, won't that be nice?" Takeru said twirling the bangle on his right hand on his finger. He turned around at the commotion that started behind him. Arukenimon and Mummymon had run off after BlackWarGreymon, while his friends were running to him. He was about to say something until he dropped the holy item. He quickly brought his hand up to his mouth but it wasn't enough to keep the contents of his stomach from shooting out. He too had been brought to the ground, gripping at the grass beneath him to steady himself.

The others saw this and rushed faster to their vomiting comrade. They watched as he palmed at his face as a look of confusion and pain washed over it. Iori and Tokomon were the first to reach him and tried to reach out to the boy. The blond just held his hand up to keep them at a distance as he violently vomited again.

Hikari saw this and circled around to the boy's back. She lent down and rubbed at his back to try and sooth him. He was extremely cold and damp. He had been in that heavy rain for quite a while but he couldn't have gotten this sick that quickly. The light rubbing didn't help as he once again discharged from his mouth. The only good thing to be seen was that this seemed to be the last time. She watched as her friend panted and tried to wipe off his hand against the grass.

"It seems those powers really are too much for you," Qinglongmon spoke up. "How many different powers did you switch between during that fight? How much power do you think ran through your body when you made that last attack?"

"What do you mean?" Hikari asked holding on to the blond who was just now calming down.

"Let us use digicores as an example. Each digimon has a core that acts like a soul for you humans, their heart," the dragon Mega started to explain. "We Harmonious Ones have twelve, but it's not the number that matters but the difference between them. All of those twelve digicores are the same but that boy as of right now is running around with at least two different ones inside him."

"But isn't that the same as DNA digivolving, when two digimon combine together? Is it because he's a human?" Iori asked on the other side of the boy.

"Not entirely, when two digimon digivolve together they combine their two cores into one. Even if they just combine normally, they are still two different minds working together in one body. What this boy is doing is taking control of a core all by himself. His single mind is taking on the taxation of having two all by itself. The problem only multiplies when he constantly switches between them or when one of them is incompatible with the others."

Ken perked up at the last bit. If Takaishi was using holy items, then were did that dark power come from? "Are you talking about that dark power?" The power that gave off the same feeling as that dark ocean.

"Exactly, if he had just kept using his own darkness like his first attack, it would have been fine. The holy bindings can contain a certain amount of darkness on their own. However, the darkness he called out to on his second attempt came from Dagomon's digicore. It's natural darkness clashes with our natural light."

"I don't understand what you mean by our light?" Miyako added not wanting to be left out.

"Through the Holy Stone the boy has gained a connection to us Harmonious Ones. He's connected to both our light and our darkness, however one greatly overwhelms the other. If he wears their holy binding, he gains a stronger connection to whomever controls that current stone. That's why when he took this one, his eyes flashed blue and he was able to channel the power of my barrier through his digivice."

"Then he'll be just fine later?" Daisuke asked looking slightly worried.

"If he just leaves things be and doesn't try to hard, he should be fine. However, if he does keep using and acquiring power, his mind may shatter under the strain or be devoured by one of the cores within him. Also…." The dragon trailed off thinking to himself.

He might get the boy to stop if his friends could convince him to. It was true that his own being was in danger but the other power the boy held within himself was a danger to the entire digital world. From what the blond had displayed, that outcome was unlikely but it still bothered the dragon enough to do something about it.

"For someone so stoic, you sure do talk a lot," Takeru slowly rose to his feet. "Xuanwumon really wanted me to do was just connect to you, all of you" as he stood up he grabbed the holy binding. "You can have this back," he tossed the thing back to the Holy Stone. It carefully fit it self back onto the rock.

Takeru stared up at the dragon that had just spilled a lot of information he hadn't wanted the others to know about. He glared with his normal blue, if not slightly puff eyes. "Xuanwumon told me you could be long winded and shy to act, but this is ridiculous. Throughout that whole fight, you kept thinking about what the worst outcome of me gaining these powers could be. Yet, you never really thought about stopping me in any way, or changing my mind on the matter. Even when I was holding back."

The azure dragon looked down at the boy with an almost regretful gaze. His mind had wondered many times throughout their battle. The only time he focused on stopping the boy was in the final attack. Whether it was because pride, worry, or curiosity, he never thought about fixing the problem himself. The boy didn't even plan on taking his powers for himself. They had both been trying to understand each other but it seems the boy got a better grasp on his character than the other way around.

"It doesn't matter really. Being forced into a state of inactivity could do that to anyone," Takeru sighed. "It seems like it was too early to challenge you to a fight holding back or not. At least we both got to know each other better." He went and picked up Tokomon and put his hat back on his head. He started making his way back to the china town, "you still have some things to say to the others, right? I'll head back first and wait for you guys." He was then rushed by Digitamamon and his companion. They would escort him back to their shop as thanks.

"Child," Qinglongmon called out. He had one more question he needed to answer. "When Xuanwumon gave you the choice of working with the four of us directly, why didn't you accept his offer?"

Takeru turned back around with a smirk on his face, "because it's something the chosen can handle by ourselves without me going behind their backs." He gave his friends a light glance, "If you want to be more upfront with your help, I'm all for it."

"And the reason you declined the choice to release your powers to him? To give those powers back to the _world_." Just like the boy, the Harmonious Ones had a connection to the _world_. Just as he could gain power from them, he could give them back.

Takeru turned away from the dragon's gaze, "you remember the ending to the tale of the two dragons? To me it's ending lacked a bit of resolution from it's title characters. I guess you could say it left a bad taste in my mouth, is all."

Qinglongmon stared at the boy for what seemed like an eternity. Would he really go digging up the past for such a petty reason? Would he really put the digital world at risk for something settled so long ago. He knew he didn't have it in him to stop the boy who had be chosen to save their world along with his companions. He would just have to hope that the boy would make the right choices and not willingly tamper with things he shouldn't.

"Don't let your eyes become clouded by the darkness child," the dragon spoke finally. "You'll lose yourself to it and may not escape."

"The same to you," Takeru added prompting the egg digimon into finally moving. "Don't be blinded by the light and loose track of what your really trying to accomplish."

The others watched as their friend walked out of the bamboo forest. More questions had arisen than before but were directed to someone completely different. What had their friend gotten himself into? Hadn't they just saved the digital world again.

The group had made their way back to the Chinese restaurant and found their friend eyeing a large mountain of Chinese buns. Oddly enough, the blond seemed to have dried his cloths out. He wore a pensive look while Tokomon helped himself to some buns he had on the side. He had looked over and called out for them to join him. They were now circled around the table with their partners enjoying the snack Digitamamon had made for them.

The only one who hadn't eaten anything but was watching the buns the closest was Takeru. His thoughts came to a halt when he could smell a bun coming directly from his left. He looked over and saw Ken handing him one.

"You should eat at least one," Ken handed over the steaming bun.

"Thanks," The blond looked down at the snack. "I was just worried I might… you know."

"Well if you do, I'll take responsibility and help you to the bathroom."

Takeru gave a light chuckle, "it's not like I have hair that would need to be held back." He took a bite of the bun and savored the taste. "These are really good. No wonder Tokomon's been scarfing them down."

Hikari looked over at the two boys who seemed to be enjoying themselves. Her eyes stayed locked on the blond who was slowly picking up the pace of his eating. The words the holy dragon had just told them ran through her mind. Other than the explanation he gave on their new digivices and the state of the digital world, he had spoken again about their friend who had left.

He had talked about their crests being different from the rest. Light brought life to the world. Hope kept that light shining even within the darkness. That's how he had described her friend at the moment. A very bright light in a very dark place. Yet again, he had cause her to become frightened and she didn't like it. Before she had thought that it was for his safety like normal, but the more she thought about it, the more it became _of_ him. Of a darkness so foreign to his person, yet it seemed to fit him so naturally that it unsettled her.

She couldn't just sit there and twiddle her thumbs like nothing was happening. If there was one thing she had learned from Miyako, it was to be more honest with herself. She thought she had done a good job back when he gotten hurt protecting the Holy Stone the first time. It didn't seem like he had lied to her at that time but he also didn't share his new information about what he had done in the past few days either. She wasn't just going to sit there and wait for something bad to happened like with the dark ocean. She wouldn't let it take Takeru just like he wouldn't let it take her.

"Takeru," Hikari scooted her chair closer and whispered to the boy, "I think we should talk about what happened back at the Holy Stone."

"I would also like to know," responded Ken with an equally low voice.

The blond in question looked at the two with careful glances. He really didn't want to go over every thing that had just transpired in the past few days. Especially seeing how these two would mostly want to hear about the dark ocean. It was expected that his friends wold want to know more about what was going on. They wanted to help but this wasn't something he felt they could do anything about. It wasn't something they should be expected to do anything about. What he hadn't expected was for Daisuke to chime in too.

"What are you guys being so quiet for?" he asked over the dwindled mountain of Chinese buns. "Your not having secret team meetings are you?"

"No Daisuke, Takeru was about to explain why he fought Qinglongmon," Iori cut in. It appeared that he had been listening in on their conversation that hadn't even got started.

"Jeez Daisuke, what will we do if he doesn't want to tell us now." Miyako had also dialed in on what was happening. "I knew Hikari would be able to get him to spill but he might not feel like telling all of us. At least not all at once."

Daisuke looked over the table at both Takeru and Hikari who had seemed to have gotten closer. "Why's it always got to be you two? First with your crests, and now then with that dark ocean, not to mention with unsealing that blue dragon." Daisuke caught his breath while the others stared at him for his outburst. "Wait, I mean, can't you tell the rest of us as well. I still don't really know what's going on after that long speech. Who are we supposed to be watching out of if not Arukenimon and Mummymon?"

Takeru leaned back in his chair with a long sigh. This was going to be a long afternoon.

He started with the dark ocean seeing how the others had already found out about what had happened in the Holy Stone. News seemed to travel fast within their group of friends when one seemed to be doing poorly. He expertly talked around the part of the sea god wanting Hikari as some sort of paint tool or maybe even something worse. He then fallowed up with a very abridged version of how he met and talked to Xuanwumon. He wanted to tell them the whole truth but it was something they didn't need to know that right now. They would find out soon enough.

The last bit of information he had left out was more personal, but he didn't tell them about the cloak he had gotten. They didn't need to know how he absorbed powers from digimon. He had left out the part of absorbing Dagomon because that didn't effect his status over the dark ocean. He had gone out of his way to even hide it when he was fighting Qinglongmon. It was slightly embarrassing to suddenly be walking around with a cloak. His cloths always changed to something normal when in the digital world. He'd rather not remind them of the Digimon Kaiser.

While he had taken the holy brace to get a better connection to the dragon Mega, it also kept him from releasing enough power to activate the embarrassing garment. It had held back his power out put slightly but he hadn't planned on defeating the beast and taking his power anyway. Especially not with his friends watching. His next planed meeting had even been to the opposite direction of the dragon of the east.

"So… Dagomon, was it?" Ken asked. "He wasn't the other dark force we needed to watch out for?"

"Seeing as I killed him, I guess not," Takeru took a sip of his water for what felt like the hundredth time.

"It's not you, is it?" Daisuke chuckled.

"Daisuke!" Hikari almost yelled. She didn't even want think about that. Takeru had managed to defeat the master of those monsters that had taken her to that dark world the first time. Even if he had gotten it's power, there was no way it could change him. She kept telling herself that, yet she couldn't seem to truly believe it.

Iori ignored the now sulking goggled boy, "what about the story of the two dragons?"

Takeru got up and motioned for them to be head for the door. The sun was starting to set. "That's going to have to be a story for another time," he said while opening the door.

"But didn't he mention stuff about darkness and destruction?" Miyako asked trying to straighten everything out.

"He talks like I'm some risk but all of us are connected to those dragons. Sure, unlike them I have a higher chance of going out of control from lack of experience but I think I'll be just fine. However, it doesn't make them feel better knowing that I'm now connected to the dark ocean."

"Well you and Iori can DNA digivolve now so I'm sure he can keep an eye on you," Daisuke mused. "You won't have use all of those weird powers anyway."

"Actually…" Takeru slowly came to a stop, letting his friends pass in front of him. "I'm thinking about staying in the digital world to see the other Harmonious Ones," he told them. He was responded by a choruses of, "whats." He started walking again, pushing the group forward. "I need to talk to all of them about what's going on. I hadn't even planed on meeting Qinglongmon today. Winter break is coming up and I'm thinking of taking off the week before school ends."

"Isn't that a bit much?" Hikari asked.

"I'm also going to need time to look over the dark ocean as well. Not to mention I have to actually find the beasts." Takeru was then greeted by a bunch of requests to join him on his little expedition.

"Okay, first off, how many of you can afford to miss a week of school?" Everyone but Daisuke held up their hand. "And who can tell their parents that's it's to go to some digital world full of monsters?" Now, everyone's hand but Hikari's went down. "Finally, who would leave their DNA partner behind to do something extremely selfish without thinking of anyone else's feelings?" As Hikari's hand was about to go down she realized Takeru's trick. If she went along with him, it wouldn't be fair to Miyako but it would be for his sake.

"You won't slip past me, Takaishi," she warned. "If your going to that dark world then at least me or Ken deserve to go."

"But I make a good point, don't I? You don't know when that real threat will attack next so we can't go splitting up as we like. I going to find the other Harmonious Ones so I don't turn into a burden for you guys."

"But we would never think of you as a burden." As she finished that sentence, Hikari caught a nasty glare from the blond. It told her that this wasn't about them or what they thought of him. She read him loud and clear, and glared back just as hard. "Fine then! Go off by yourself if you want to." She walked off towards the gate with Plotmon.

"Hikari wait up," Miyako gave chase with Pururumon. "I'm sure he has he reasons, as stupid as they might be."

The other three boys were shocked at what had just happened. The air grew stale as they slowly settled into awkwardness. "Could I ask the two of you to give us a moment?" Iori asked Daisuke and Ken. The two older boys glanced at each other and looked awkwardly at the blond. They went on their way to the gate, not wanting to be apart of the tense atmosphere any longer.

Iori took a deep breath and gathered himself. His hold on Tsubumon shifted as he looked for the right words.

Takeru however, beat him to it, "sorry…" The blond stood there starting at the younger boy. Remorse laid within his eyes. "We just figured out DNA digivolving and I'm leaving you out to dry. You even said some really nice things about me and I'm just proving them to be wrong."

Iori seriously thought over everything Takeru had told him. "It's not your fault, not really," he spoke. "I wouldn't want to be a danger to anyone else either, especially my friends. Even now, you're still thinking about everyone or at least someone other than yourself."

"It's more than that. I think that the person who had prepared to fight by himself, even without a DNA digimon, can handle himself without me," Takeru gave a sly smirk. "Especially now that he's got his act together." Iori could only be slightly embarrassed by the complement.

"By the way, you didn't really answer my question about the story of the two dragons. Why did the ending upset you so much?"

Takeru looked over with slight amusement, "I was just being cheeky. When really thinking about the whole situation, there are lots of reasons." Takeru gained a really thoughtful look in his eyes. "But the main reason would have to be the promise I made within the Holy Stone. I have to make sure I keep it."

Iori couldn't really fallow along. The whole situation in the Holy Stone sounded to surreal to him. Hearing it offhand from someone who had only heard about it, might not have helped. The two finally made their way to the gate. "Out of curiosity, which Harmonious One are you going to meet next?"

A smile crept to the blond's face. "The order might have gotten messed up but I plan on seeing the one I've wanted to meet the most. The white tiger of the west, Baihumon."

 **AN: This story has reached a point of no return. Human on digimon violence will now be in full effect. I know this can turn some people off but I don't really mind it myself as long as it fits well enough. I really enjoyed the more aggressive Savers series, and looking back on all of them, I don't think I'm going too far. Especially considering what happens later within the 02 series, but that's something I'll have to get to.**

 **This was quite the chapter. I had to set it up within itself and enough for the next chapter because we'll be doing some skipping around again. I guess the middle of the story would have the most meat but the amount of exposition this time around really bothered me.**

 **I also had to deal with a lot of character building. I wrapped up BlackWarGreymon finally but then I can't leave Qinglongmon hanging. Takeru is the main character so obviously something had to go their. Iori was the standout side character in this chapter for me personally. I'm glad could portray BlackWarGreymon's hesitation being different for him than it was for Takeru.**

 **The fight scene was the hardest part next to all the plot I dumped on the story. I can put in all the mechanics I want. I can make the smallest of changes be expressed in details, but I still need to give them some sort of explanation later. I always feel like I messing up the pacing when I write about them.**

 **The fight itself was fine. It may have been slow getting here, but Takeru has finally grown enough to be a threat to other digimon by himself. Yet, to get here and even within this chapter, it was shown by supporting other characters. That's something I never want to lose when writing for this series. The support between the human and their digimon should be the most important in a fight, no matter what series it is. Except for maybe Frontier but that even shoved some in too.**

 **For something fun, I originally wanted to name that combination attack, O** **ceanus** **Force. To mattch the latin word for, Terra. (Already knows about the attack Posaidon Force) The early stages were more focused on finding synonyms for destroyer; eraser was pretty tempting. However, then I thought about how it was more than just a water attack, so I** **decided to** **relate it back to the story as a whole. After decided on the first word being, void, I** **still** **needed a synonym for destory. But you don't destroy voids, not generally, so I** **got** **an antonym.**

 **I really didn't need any more words in this** **chapter** **but I hope you enjoyed, yet another chapter. How does, Void** **G** **enerat** **o** **r,** **fit into the story? Keep reading to find out. More than the next chapter though. That just covers the world tour arc;** **if it even get's that far** **.**


	5. Demonic Angels

**Chapter 5:**

 **Demonic Angels**

It was the last day of classes for the chosen and the younger ones had plans on how to celebrate it. The younger chosen had surprised their seniors with the gift of friendship. They had brought all of their partners to the real world to celebrate the winter holiday together. It was followed by the groups splitting off to spend time with each other. The older children went to a music competition at the beach that Yamato was participating in. While the younger ones spent time at Ken's Christmas party. It was a truly enjoyable holy night.

At least, that was how things were supposed to stay. Yet, unexpectedly a dark tower had shown up by the music competition site. It's presence had ruined the show both figuratively and physically. Not only did it bring rampaging digimon along with it, the older children couldn't digivolve with it looming upon them. Luckily, the younger chosen had arrived in time to destroy the tower and have everyone help stop the destructive monsters. They sent the random mons back from where they came and were about to call it a night. That was before the tide had oddly caught some of their attention.

The water had unknowingly crept farther inland. It lightly tickled the children's shoes but the water wasn't the problem. The things coming from it were. A large number of dark beings lurked onto the beach. They were an odd mix of human and fish. Their gangly limbs were disproportionate to their bloated human like bodies. Their large fish like heads held glassy yellow eyes. Everyone was at the attention of these odd creatures that none of them had seen, none except for Hikari.

A memory flashed before her eyes. A memory that she wanted to forget. It brought back bad feelings and headaches. It was as if just being in the same area as those… things, made her want to vomit. The only ones who seemed to notice the girl's poor state were her brother and Miyako who was next to her.

The dark creatures looked to the frightened girl who was now covered by her brother. "Fear not girl," one of them spoke. "We are not here for you. Our old master is now dead and our new lord has no interest in you. He does however have one in the boy over there," it pointed to Ken. "You have something our new lord desires. Please hand yourself over to us, for the sake of our dark world, for the sake of our Demon Lord."

Demon Lord? Takeru had said that the dark ocean was under his control. There was no way he could have turned on his friends. If he didn't, then that would mean that he… No, Takeru couldn't have died either. Hikari looked over to Ken who had a tense look on his face. He couldn't believe it anymore than she could. This couldn't be true, this was all wrong.

Over the past week, she had been trying to get into contact with the blond and only a small amount of her messages went through to him. He had sent none back himself; the changing of his mailing status was the only thing that would bring her any sort of comfort.

"However, the lord wouldn't mind if we increased our numbers," the creature cut through the girl's thoughts. "We should take you as well," Hikari made herself as small as she could behind her brother. "I'm sure the offspring would be powerful, like their mother," Hikari clutched her brother's jacket as tightly as she could. She closed her eyes even tighter. "Come and pro-" the voice didn't get the chance to finish. Hikari dared to open her eyes to see why the monster had suddenly stopped talking.

The dark sea creature was now standing without it's head. Before the body could even touch the ground, it disintegrated into digital bits. When it's form completely disappeared the girl's eyes caught the weapon that had killed the monster. An arrow of light embedded itself into the sand. It shown bright and beautifully in the moon light.

Everyone turned around, to find the one who had silenced the sea creature. Their eyes lead them to the other side of the road that was next to beach. Resting on atop a building was a beautiful woman who wore a metal mask that hid her eyes. She rose from her sitting position and brushed back her simmering blond hair. As he hair flowed with the wind, eight wings also spread themselves from her back to catch the air. Atop that building stood a being of light, an Angewomon.

The children and digimon were stunned to find that they had missed such a being when sending back the other digimon. Had she too just arrived, just like the beings from the dark ocean? The dark creatures however were furious. They hadn't expected the holy angel to be able to get to the human world as quickly as she could. Shouldn't she have still been held up in the dark world? This would ruin their plans to capture the boy, let alone get to their own agenda of taking the girl. They would have to retreat.

As the sea beings wordlessly tried to make their retreat, they were treated to a black fog coming from the water. They all quickly back-peddled to their original positions not wanting to get too close. They knew what that fog spelled for them. Not only had the holy angel arrived, but the fallen sister as well.

Bats appeared out of the dark mist along with another womanly figure. A woman dressed in black and chains walked along a carpet of bats to keep herself from touching the water. The fog dissipated and the moon light shown through the holes in her tattered wings. Her red eyes glittered from beneath the mask that covered the top of her face. "I'm sorry, but we can't let you leave this place," the LadyDevimon almost whispered. She had made her way to the center of the enemies group. None of them dared to get close to the female devil.

Four more arrows fell from the sky and pierced four more sea creatures. The holy angel landed beside the womanly devil. "I thought I told you to not waste your breath on your enemies," Angewomon spoke firmly.

"But sister, isn't that unfair to them?" the devil muttered meekly. "Everyone should have a chance to defend themselves." The lady devil pressed her fingers together while staring at her feet. She was quickly, and playfully hit on her forehead.

"These things don't deserved a fair or honorable death," Angewomon kept raking her knuckles on her sister. "You're far to kind for your own good, let alone for being a devil."

All of the children watched with confusion as the angle and devil conversed among themselves. They were having what seemed like a lighthearted sibling spat, while being surrounded by their enemies. None of them knew if it was alright to attack yet. The younger children didn't think their partners could DNA digivolve again. The older ones didn't know if their digimon were strong enough to even help.

"Koushiro, what's going on?" asked Taichi. He had no idea what was happening but he knew that his friend would at least have a guess.

"I'm just as lost as you, Taichi. You know anything, Tentomon?" he asked his partner.

"I've heard about an Angewomon and a LadyDevimon appearing around the western part of the digital world lately. They say that if there is a disturbance or rift forming between the worlds, they'll show up and then disappear along with it" The insect digimon explained the best he could but even then, it was just rumors from another part of the world.

"I've heard about them too, Taichi," Agumon noted. "I've heard that the oddest thing about them is that they don't have their distinguishing markings."

"What does that mean?" Sora asked.

"It means that the LadyDevimon doesn't have a mark of evil on her left hand." Tentomon answered. It was true, on her claw like hand, a symbol of a bat was missing.

"And Angewomon?"

"She's not wearing a holy ring around her ankle." Plotmon pipped in. The angel was missing the golden ring from around her ankle and yet she didn't seem any weaker than normal. If Plotmon had to guess, she seemed stronger than a normal Angewomon. Almost as abnormally strong as MagnaAngemon was in their group.

While the lack of markings might make one think these digimon would be weaker like Tailmon, that wasn't always the case. What it meant was that, while they both could still use holy and demonic powers, they were neither agents of light or darkness. They most likely fallowed their own wills. They were neither absolutely good or evil.

The dark creatures had enough of being toyed with, "how could you have even managed to get to the human world? You all should have been lead away from the portal leading here."

The two contrasting sisters stopped their conversation to look at the creature that addressed them. "Don't go underestimating the power of our Prince," Angewomon smirked. "Unlike your Demon Lord, he's not afraid to get his own hands dirty," the angel answered.

"Your Demon Lord must not have had enough faith in you if he didn't bring you over himself," the devil spoke up. "It's that, or he can't even truly interact with you. You took advantage of the dark tower being here and used it as a makeshift gate to cross over. You even tried to hide it and lead us off on a wild goose chase just to distract us. You all being here at this time may be a coincidence, but your meeting is not. Our Prince allowed us to cross over this world by himself."

"So you're saying your leader can freely move between all three worlds?" one of the creatures barked.

"From the dark world, yes," answered a low male voice. Once again and newcomer had appeared above them. Another devil stood above them and watched with six, red eyes hiding behind a horned, golden mask. His white skin stood out compared to the abundance of red and black he wore. The red bandages that ran along his forearms matched his slightly tattered red wings. His nails were covers with golden claws that matched his mask. Black belts ran along his matching pants that went well with his shoes that had spikes protruding form the top. "I've come to escort you ladies back to the digital world, but it seems that you haven't finished up your business yet. We even managed to take over their original gate for you."

"Sorry…" LadyDevimon squeaked.

"I was sure I took out about a third of them," Angewomon looked around at the rest of the sea creatures that were left. Only ten more targets were standing. "So I did! Well, you two can handle the rest then." The female angel rose to the sky, leaving her sister to fend for herself. "I'll just sit back and enjoy myself."

"You always seem to manage to do just enough work so I can't scold you," the white devil landed beside LadyDevimon.

"Of course," the white angel smiled. "That new digivolution always makes you really stiff, NeoDevimon. You've just gotten used to fighting with it so have some fun," the holy digimon laughed. "Besides, we don't get to see it action much anyway. I want to see for myself, the power that is closest to the _world_."

The white devil looked up to the floating angel, "as you wish." The two devils on the ground walked to different sides of the group of the sea creatures. NeoDevimon took the left while LadyDevimon took the right. "However, don't think that I'm the closest just because I have these six red eyes. I'm still missing two more."

The chosen watched as the two devils moved without being impeded by the sea monsters. They watched as most moved out of the way for the two, not wanting to make contact. A silence had over taken the group. They had not idea what was going on but they knew that it wasn't good. In the older children's mind, the name, "Devimon," was associated with something bad. Yet, here were two from the same species that had tormented them from when they were younger, taking out creatures that wanted two of their friends. Was it just one enemy taking out another or were they really there to help? They did have an Angewomon with them. They could only watch and wait.

The aquatic digimon knew that they didn't stand a chance. The tower had been destroyed long ago and the portal now lead back to their doom. To the one who threw their dark ocean into a chaos that even they couldn't comprehend. They didn't know how to escape this deadly situation. One of them couldn't take it tried to make a brake for the water. They were stopped when a red beam pierced it's body and it designated.

Angewomon cheered from above for her sister. She was spouting off something about, fighting the way that she would have. The lady devil tried to keep a straight face while hiding an embarrassed blush.

The two devils finally made it each side of the group of now, nine monsters. The only thing to be heard were the waves crashing on the shore. Waves that had long receded back to their proper place. The two watched closely with their red eyes for the perfect moment to attack. They would each finish this in one strike.

No longer able to contain themselves, the creatures let out a desperate cry. Each of them started to move in their own directions. Some tried to make it back to the sea, others dashed out against their soon to be executioners. A pair even tried to run at the children. None of them were able to make it far. Within a second. Bodies broke into basic digital bits of data.

The two devils stood once again at where the center of the chaos had been. They had crossed each other after delivering their attacks. LadyDevimon's hand had tuned into a red tipped spear. On the other side stood NeoDevimon, who's armored nails were sparking with electricity.

Everyone gaped at the speed that it took the two to defeat their enemies. With only one strike from them, they were able to destroy the sea creatures. That was except for one. One monster had dived to the sand just in front of Ken. It looked up desperately at the boy. Before most of the others knew what was going on, it charged once again for the boy.

Ken could only jerk his body back in an attempt to not get caught. The sudden movement caused him to lose his balance and fall back onto the sand. His eyes widened as the monsters webbed grip grew closer. His eyes wouldn't close in preparation for the incoming danger. It's because of that, that the look of shock never needed to reappear on his face when a golden grip came around the monster's skull.

"I apologies," said NeoDevimon. "It appears that I have missed one of my targets." He gripped the monster tighter as he ignored the angel giggling to herself about him still being rigid.

"Don't think you've seen the last of us," shouted the sea monster. "Our brothers are gathering their power and they will come to capture and kill you. Our Demon Lord shall rule the digital wold and you all are nothing but stepping stones to do so."

"It's a shame, but that is very unlikely to happen," The white devil kept tightening his grip. "Just as I'm doing to you now, our Prince will return your lord's power back to nothing, back to zero."

"You all shall rue the day you crossed Demon Lord, Dae-" the creatures speech was cut short after being crushed in an electrified grip. His data also broke apart and drifted with the wind.

Everyone was speechless except the raving angel above them. She landed next to her sister and gave her a well deserved congratulations. The older children were still cautious of their saviors but relaxed slightly along with them. It seemed as if the fighting was over.

The some of the younger children however, were in a bit of a shock. They had never seen a real digimon be deleted up close like that. They had watched Ken's monster be destroyed but that thing lacked a soul. Those creatures may have been unsettling but they were still living things that were killed. What bothered them the most was how uncaring their three saviors seemed to be of it. One was even laughing in spite of everything that had just happened.

"Was that all of them?" Yamato spoke up this time.

"Yes, for now. I apologies for them arriving late," NeoDevimon apologized for his companions. "We wanted to send them as soon as we found out about the disturbance, but opening a stable gate took longer than expected."

"You say we, and spoke of a Prince, can you tell us more?" asked Koushiro. He needed to get more information on what was going on and his normal contact, Gennai, wasn't answering his messages at the moment.

As the two spoke with most of the group listening in, the pair of sisters made their way to Hikari. They both looked over the girl and her digimon seeming to want something. "Our Prince has told us all about you chosen children," LadyDevimon spoke. "When we heard about a girl who was partnered to a Tailmon, we wanted to meet you two the most. Though it seems that you're a Plotmon now."

Angewomon asked for permission to hold the puppy like digimon in the girl's hands and was granted it. "Aw, your fur is so soft. You remind me of LadyDevimon when we were Plotmon." The angel lightly patted at Plotmon's fur.

"You're just as cute as my sister was. You're defiantly a lot more well behaved than she was," LadyDevimon added.

Hikari had relaxed a lot more with everything calming down. She was surprised to find a LadyDevimon that she actually liked this time. Angewomon's aggressive like nature was a little off putting when compared to her partner, but the two had helped them and that's all that mattered. "Thank you for the help," Hikari expressed sincerely.

"We are glad to help," smiled LadyDevimon. "But we were kind of surprised that you needed it. The Prince told us that you guys could easily handle yourselves."

"Prince?"

"He's the one who commands us and let's us pass between the worlds," answered Angewomon. "He's also the one who helped us digivolve, much like you chosen do for your digimon. That being said, why didn't you all do that when those dark world creatures attacked? In my personal opinion, you let them mouth off to much. If they had spoken to me like that, they would have gotten more than just one arrow through them."

Hikari was silent. Why had she clammed up like that? It was as if seeing those monsters took away her will to fight. She had been talking to Tailmon and Miyako about the dark ocean but she never really felt better about it. She knew she had friends that would protect her, but what about herself? She never felt like she got over her problems herself and just relied on her friend's support. The thought of how _she_ would support her friends kept popping up in her mind? If would falter every time darkness would show up, how could she be of any use to her friends?

She thought back on her partnership with Miyako. It felt extremely one sided to her. Miyako had prompted their digivolution while she went along for the ride. It left a bad taste in her mouth. She couldn't tell anyone about that because it would only hurt their feelings. She knew she couldn't handle most things on her own but she couldn't help herself.

She was constantly told that her light was special, yet it didn't feel that way most of the time. They say that the grater the light, the grater the darkness, but that darkness wasn't her own. Sometimes the light didn't even feel like her own. She felt as if she was being pulled along by whatever force that needed her most at the moment. It seemed like she couldn't be as assertive as any of her friends when it came to dealing with her own problems.

Hikari's pity party was abruptly interrupted by having Plotmon handed back to her. The two inverted sisters were staring down at her. "It seems those creatures don't even need to be around for you to shrink into yourself," Angewomon observed. "It was interesting to see you all, but next time I'd like to see your good side."

Hikari didn't understand the sudden farewell. She looked over and saw the NeoDevimon coming their way. It seemed as if the conversation had ended.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you more, but the Demon Lord and your enemy are not related," the six eyed devil explained. "Other than the fact that he controls the creatures from the dark ocean, you know as much as we do about the rifts occurring between the worlds. It seems that the Demon Lord can't travel to the dark world at will, and just finds rifts to exploit."

"You never told us about this, Prince, we've been hearing of," Tentomon probed. "From what I've heard, he has two holy rings around his ankles and hides behind a hood. No one even knows what he looks like. Is he some sort of new, powerful digimon?"

"I'm sorry but the Prince hides himself on purpose. He'd rather not be recognized by the enemy. He will reveal himself to you all soon enough." The other two Ultimates gathered to the devil. A gray portal appeared behind them in front of tide. "The Demon Lord is our enemy but if you run into his underlings, please completely destroy them. Until meet again, stay safe chosen children."

As the children watched the three Ultimate digimon walk towards the portal, they could still faintly make out the three's conversations. Something about not wanting to touch the water and a reply about no longer being cats. They disappeared along with the portal and the chosen children were now the only ones left on the beach.

They all tried to pool in the information they had gained and solidify it. There was another enemy to watch out for, that wasn't teamed with Arukenimon. Why couldn't things be as easy as their first adventure, when the bad guys actively attacked them?

"How could they ask for such a thing?" Miyako was furious. "I know they saved us and all, but to do that to their enemy. Was that really the same kind of Angewomon that Tailmon can digivolve to? I never would of thought that an angel could be so wicked."

"Don't be so hard on them Mikayo," Sora tried to calm the younger girl down. "Besides, it's not our fight, not yet."

"Yet?" Iori asked.

"Well, not until it get's to a point that they can't handle. Not until someone get's hurt."

"Shouldn't we try to stop them before that happens?" Daisuke pipped up.

"We already have our plates full," Taichi explained. "If they are completely focused on their enemy then we can leave it to them. We should focus on ours, who's trying to get digimon to run wild in our world."

"NeoDevimon also said that both were using the dark tower as an entrance." Koushiro spoke. "If we can keep them from popping up or at least destroy them quick enough, we should be able to keep those creatures and possibly other digimon from appearing again."

"But what if they do?" Miyako argued. "Are we just going to do as the asked and kill them? Are we going to sink to their level?"

"I don't think its about sinking to anyone's level," Ken finally gave his input. "When NeoDevimon saved me, it was sincere. Sure, he was focused on his enemy but he was worried about me. Sometimes you just have to do some things. It reminded me of…" Ken didn't finish his sentence. He didn't want to bring up another hot topic to talk about.

"You got the right idea," Taichi complimented. "Some of the digimon that come through might not be just confused, like they were today. Some might willingly attack innocent people, aware of what their doing. We might not always be able to send them back to the digital world. All I'm tell you is, just be prepared. "

Silence gathered around the chosen children. Once again, their world wasn't safe from monster attacks. They had to keep on constant watch on what was around them. They needed to find Arukenimon and Mummymon. The problems kept piling on and they couldn't find the answers to their problems. They could only go home hoping that tomorrow would bring better news.

* * *

After a night's sleep, the new day could only bring them a worse situation than the night prior. More dark towers had not only appeared around all of Japan, but the entire world. To tackle this challenge, Qinglongmon had given them the power to evolve to Ultimate from one of his digicores. This power had also powered up Paildramon to his Mega form, Imperialdramon. With his giant from, he could cross the world in a blink of an eye.

Gennai was the one to deliver the digcore to the children. He had explained the situation, but couldn't explain how it happened. He didn't think Arukenimon could bring over dark towers by herself. They were still at a lost of who was helping the two digimon.

Yamato had asked about what his brother was doing at this time. He wanted to know why he hadn't showed up to help them, or at least sent them a message.

Gennai explained that he and Qinglongmon had lost track of the boy after his meeting with Baihumon. The two of them had a fight that could be felt by the blue dragon but after the battle was over, they both dropped of his map. Gennai explained that the boy was still okay but they didn't know his exact whereabouts. He reassured them that where ever Takeru was, he was doing just fine.

Thinking now would be a good chance, Iori asked Gennai if he knew of the story of the two dragons. Gennai was shocked that Iori knew of such a story but explained a bit of it.

The story was about two dragons that could bring about the end of the digital world. A dragon of destruction and a dragon of pure darkness. Both dragon's planed to destroy the digital world for their own purposes but fought each other for the right. Many digimon were destroyed in the fighting but the dark dragon won out in the end with enough help. He sealed the dragon of destruction into the deepest part of the digital world. He ushered in a time of darkness but was later sealed himself by the four Harmonious Ones.

The children were at a lost for words. What was the difference between the two dragons? They both sounded equally awful. Every dark being they had fought at least wanted to control the digital world. What could be gained by destroying the world? They didn't get much time to think on it as Gennai rushed them out to meet up with Daisuke and Ken.

Gennai had already made a plan to send back the most amount of digimon in the smallest amount of time. The only problem was that they would have to get to France in a return trip because they didn't have enough younger kids to open up the gates. Yamato would go their alone to meet up with his grandfather and hold down the fort until Daisuke and Ken would return.

They had all gotten on the dragon digimon and were ready for take off when a loud explosion erupted from the river. They all looked over to find a large sea creature emerging from the water. It was a gigantic version of the monsters that had attacked them last night. Soon two more appeared from their right and left. They were gigantic versions of the monsters from the dark ocean. Not only did those large sea folk have them cornered on three sides, smaller troops were crawling onto the land. They were being attacked by a small army.

Imperialdramon was about to fire his laser until a shout froze him in place. It was only for a moment but he felt as if his whole body had turned to iron. When he had been frozen, he could have sworn that the voice sounded familiar to him. He felt that the voice was close by, yet also far away at the same time.

"Sorry, about that but I can't have you getting in the way," a light voice apologized from atop the dragon's head. "Man, did you guys sure get big. I know of _who_ _m_ this is, but _who_ is this digimon exactly?"

"Uh… I'm Imperialdramon," the large dragon introduced. Who was this young person resting on his head. He gave off a light and pleasant aura but felt as strong as a digimon. They couldn't be a human, could they?

"I see, Imperialdramon," the stranger understood. "Well, a Mega like you shouldn't waste your time with small fries like these. Leave it to us, their our enemies after all." He sat there resting one arm on a raised keen with his other leg resting underneath it.

The one resting on the Mega's head had finally caught the attention of the chosen. Whoever it was, was covered in what appeared to be a distortion leading to the dark wold. It dissipated around him until only the sky was at his back. He was wearing a white cloak with a light purple trim, it concealed his upper face. He wore an amused grin as he watched the monsters slowly make their way to land. His teeth were as sharp as a feline beasts. What stood out the most were the two holy rings that were around his ankles.

Was this the Prince that the trio from the other night were speaking about? It suddenly made sense on how the small team's dynamics worked. It seemed the whole team was actually balanced between the extremes of dark and light. A team like that would be truly powerful, yet were they powerful enough to take on a whole force like the one before them?

Taichi and Yamato had had just about enough with waiting around. They were about to order their partners to get down there to fight when they too were stopped.

The masked Prince looked over to them, "I told you not to get in the way." Glowing white eyes hid behind the shadows of the cloak.

"But what about the bystanders watching down there?" asked Koushiro. His mother was still down among the people staring at the monsters.

"I'll deal with that myself," the Prince said rising to feet. "The other three can take care of those giants by themselves." He could feel the other three digimon he traveled with getting ready to attack. They had hid themselves behind the rift, preparing to take down their opponents in a swift attack.

The other children now watched as three figures appeared from over their protective dome. They shot out at the gigantic monsters at blinding speeds. The first to attack was Angewomon. She got right in front of the colossal sea creature and rose higher to the sky. After climbing three heads higher than the sea beast, she kicked her heel downward. With a cry of, "Holy Attack," she shot straight through the sea monster. It fell back into the water from where it came.

The next one to steal the attention was LadyDevimon. Her arm had tuned into a spear once more as she rushed the sea monster. It seemed to have prepared it self better after glancing at his fallen comrade. It put it's hands up for protection only to have the spear pierce through both of them. What shocked it was that she hadn't kept going through the rest of his body. That thought hadn't lasted long, as his body exploded into digital data. LadyDevimon had gone with a more subtle approach of using Poison. It had turned her foes own energy into an internal explosive.

Last but not least was NeoDevimon. He flexed his claws as he drew closer to his target. With a whisper of, "Guilty Claw," his hands were cloaked in dark shadows. The shadow hands grew to be about the same size as the creature's own palms. With a swift movement, the sea monster was shredded to pieces. Six eyes looked down upon the sea monsters that were still there.

The chosen were speechless. Once again, the trio of Ultimates proved to be stronger than anticipated. This time they all truly only needed one attack to do in their foes. The Prince had said not to waste energy but could those colossal monsters really be that weak? Speaking of the Prince, he had disappeared. Koushiro was the one to spot him atop the hill pushing back the bystanders and his mother.

"Don't worry, we have everything under control," the cloaked figure smiled to the crowed. It was easy enough to get people to move away from giant monsters but the small crowed made it easier to manage. He was about to give instructions to leave again until he felt a slight shiver run down his back. He turned around to find the three Ultimate digimon glowing. Before he could say anything they had all dedigivolved. "You've got to be kidding," the boy sighed.

While they all had glowed in the yellow light of dedigivolution, only two beams of light shot back towards the Prince. They had come from Angewomon and LadyDevimon. When he was hit with the light, the holy rings around his ankles shown with a small glow. His cloak spat out two more pieces of cloth that leaved away from the center of his back. They partial draped over the front boy's arms.

Joke or not, this was a problem. The group had been moving to keep up with the Demon Lord all night. They had finally cornered him in the dark world but he had sent these troops into the digital world through another convenient rift. Portals were opening up all over the world and it conveniently lead them here. It seemed like they had used up more power fighting than they had thought. The Prince quickly looked to Koushiro's mother and a brunette, male news reporter who had been helping him deal with the crowed. He asked the two to look after the stragglers and to make sure that everyone got to safety.

The Prince turned around to find that most of the sea monsters had gotten to Imperialdramon's feet and also the foot of the hill. They had gotten closer than anticipated. This situation wasn't looking too good but he couldn't help but smile the predicament he had gotten into. He couldn't keep all that excitement to himself, so he let it out in a loud roar!

Every digimon in the vicinity came to a stop. Some fell to the ground from the awkward positions they were frozen in. Tentomon had fallen from stopping the flapping of his wings. Even Imperialdramon who had experienced it once before couldn't shake off the weight it put upon him. It was much more fierce than it was last time. It was as if a beast was declaring that it was time to hunt.

Much like a wild predator, the Prince sped down the hill and destroyed all the dark monsters in one pass. Unlike the night before or with the giant monsters, the ones the Prince destroyed sprayed out a black substance before they broke apart into data. The darkness lingered in the air like a black mist. The right side of his once clean white cloak was splatted in black, along with his hand. The black made his shining nails stand out. The small amount of white within the black, made their sharpness stand out. They were nails that belonged to a beast that lived to fight. His eyes lit up once again along with the smile that graced his lips.

Just as quickly as the ones at the foot of the hill were disposed of, the ones as Imperialdramon's feet were defeated. More blackness dripped off the boy but his attack didn't stop, the grin didn't leave his face. He quickly made his rounds to his three companions. He held the now BlackTailmon in his right hand. The now, white Tailmon that lacked a holy ring was held in his left. A Patamon was carried in his mouth by the scruff of his neck like an animal's offspring.

It looked like the Prince would make a slight retreat to Imperialdramon to make sure that his comrades were safe, but he stopped in his tracks. Once again a shiver ran down his spine. He turned around to find one of the dark creatures holding a dark orange digicore. From whom could they have gotten such a powerful item?

"With this digicore granted to us from our great Demon Lord, we shall make our final stand," the sea creature yelled. "To you, the one who ruined the nature of our dark ocean, we wish you the most painful of deaths." The core flashed in a bright light. The black clouds that had been left behind gathered to the light. Data from the larger ones started to rise from the ocean as well. Even the dark wetness that clung to the boy drifted to the light. The still standing, sea creatures also turned into data and flowed to the core.

The once bright orange orb had been turned into a much larger black sphere. It stood still for only a moment before it gave off a light purple glow. Within one final flash of white a colossal digimon stood above the Prince and his digimon. It had to have been almost as large Shakkoumon. However, unlike the clay doll like digimon, this one had a much slimmer figure. It was one that most of the original chosen could recognize even if this time, it was wearing white. It's purple eyes matched the mark of evil that it held on it's chest. An extremely large IceDevimon had materialized from the digicore.

This was unexpected, but it made some sense to the Prince. Something as powerful as a Demon Lord could at least make a few digicores and still be considered a threat like the four holy beasts. He had just never thought that the sea monsters would do something so desperate. He didn't have to guess that the digital monster in front of him was a mindless beast that only knew what it's master had programmed into it. It most likely just wanted to destroy him and report back to be absorbed from where it came.

The Prince's thoughts were cut short when a familiar chill ran down his back. The monster had spotted him and he needed to move. He took a short hop back but was quickly struck by two blue beams that shot from the monster's eyes. Both of his legs were coated in ice and he fell back onto the grass. He watched as the monster started to beat it's wings towards him and picked up a cold wind. The grass around him froze over as he tried to think of a way out this mess.

He needed to figure a way out of this disaster but icicles form in the blowing air had shot towards him. He was about to do something desperate until the three digimon he was carrying moved out in front of him. With Patamon taking to the air between the twins, they made a stand against the oncoming attack. They started shinning with a golden light that connected the three in the form of a triangle. The middle space filled up with light as well and repelled the icy attack. The make shift barrier disappeared as soon as it had came and the trio were tuckered out once again.

The chosen had been watching this whole time and couldn't believe their eyes. This time, the mysterious Prince was truly in over his head. Daisuke called for Imperialdramon to fire his cannon but he was once again stopped in surprise. The cloaked Prince had suddenly appeared in the dragon's protective barrier. His legs were no longer iced over and he laid his three companions down.

"Are you alright?" Jou rushed to the boy to help him up. "Your legs must fee like led."

"I'm fine," he waved off the glasses boy as he slowly stood up. The ice hadn't left any lasting damage but a mild numbness. "But please, look after them for me." He walked over to he edge of the transparent shield.

"Your not going back out there, are you?" Jou hadn't been completely up to speed with everything that had been going on but he knew what he had just seen. This Prince would willingly fight off that giant alone? The children had seen plenty of humanoid digimon. They had just seen three of them in action, even if they did have angel and demonic like extra features. Yet, unlike his companions, he was about the size of Ken and Daisuke. "What kind of digimon are you? You're at least an Ultimate, right?"

"At least," the cloaked boy looked back to chosen that were looking him over. This was the closest they had gotten since he had arrived. They were able to make out his eyes much more clearly. They held a familiar red iris but the pupil shined in a pure white. When combined with his sharp smirk, his look was almost other worldly. "Ah, before I forget. I'll have to ask again that you please don't get in the way."

This again? Why didn't these guys want their help? Sure it seemed like they had everything under control but now seemed like it was the time for a team effort.

"Now I know what you're all thinking," the Prince smiled while making a distortion between worlds. A dark aura appeared behind him. "If I do die, I'll be sure to leave him mortally wounded for you all," he fell backwards into the dark portal and through the barrier. Everyone rushed to that side of the barrier to find that it was still working. They then looked down to find the Prince slowly making his way towards the ice monster. With each step his pace started to pick up. What really caught their eye was that his cloak had changed color. By the time he broke out into a full sprint, the white had changed to green and the purple trim turned black.

The Prince had wanted to make his rush faster, but he too, was starting to feel fatigued. It didn't help that the monster was constantly shooting ice beams at him. He watched as it took to the air to add raining icicles to his already overbearing attack. He couldn't hold back if it wanted to make it that high up himself, so he forcibly quickened his pace. Once again, distortions in space formed around his body.

The children watched the once green field turn snow white. They were having a hard time keeping up with the cloaked boy's speed. In fact, the closer they watched, the more he seemed to disappear. It wasn't until Iori brought mention to it that they noticed that he was actually disappearing.

It was literally a blink and miss it moment. He was covered in the same aura that he used to pass trough the barrier. The same one that he originally appeared in. The only ones to really comprehend what was going on were Ken and Koushiro. He was hopping between the dark world and the real world to out maneuver the attacks. He was about to run head on with another beam but his body teleported to the left. He wasn't making any large leaps. Could he not move as freely as he wanted? If he could theoretically open a portal or rift anywhere he wanted, then he should be able to move to the ice digimon's back with ease.

However, the way he carried himself made them think other wise. It was fast, but it almost seemed painful. His movements were jerky and rigid. None the less, he kept going. He had quickly gotten underneath the ice giant and looked ready to attack.

"You may control ice, but I have full domain over water," the Prince stretched out his arms. All the ice that had landed onto the ground turned to water and rested in the air. He spun around in a large sweeping motion and gathered not only that amount of water, but even more from the river into a ring around him. He spun once more in a tighter circle and crossed both his arms to the sky. "Double Dragon Wave!"

Two water dragons shot from the ring of water and spiraled upwards at IceDevimon. The ice demon looked down at the incoming water dragons and took in a deep breath. He blew at the dragons and froze them before they could attack. The monster marveled at his handy work, as he smirked face to face with one of the frozen heads.

A shout of "Iron Claw," cause him to rise his line of sight. The cloaked figure had gotten above him. The monster could still glance at the footprint that was left on the ice dragon's head. His cloak was once again covered in white but his left hand also shined with the same color. He didn't have enough time to react as he was struck in the face.

Like a thin sheet of ice, the frosty devil stated to crack. The chosen watched as the giant from shatter to digital data. They had expected to see the Prince in free fall, but not wrestling with a smaller IceDevimon. The Prince kept a tight grip on the ice digimon's face as they plummeted towards the ground.

The monster had discarded a large amount of data at the time of impact in order to still keep his from. It was smaller, but still larger than averaged. It was still enough to throw the cloaked boy off of him with one hand. He sent him sailing to Imperialdramon, were he landed on his back on top of the barrier with a pained grunt.

The world had become upside down to the Prince. His eyes squinted at the disorientation along with the pain in his back. He quickly opened them again to find the ice digimon charging in. He quickly locked on to the dive bombing devil. He kept a sharp watch as he inhaled a deep breath. He grit his teeth as he felt the power peak at the back of his throat. He opened his mouth as a beam of shot out at his icy opponent.

The children were caught off guard just as much as the ice digimon was. He was hit dead on the chest with the blast. They had expected for it to pierce his body but what actually happened was further from it. The digimon's evil marking gained a bronze color that spread across his entire body. They watched the digimon plummet from the sky as the bronze finally encompassed it's wings. The ice digimon had became a statue after taking what seemed to be an extremely concentrated version of the boy's earlier yells.

The bronze stature crashed into the earth with enough force to be felt by the on lookers who still haven't left yet. It was hard to tear one's self away from an unbelievable scene. Seeing what looked like young boy fight with sea creatures and then a giant ice devil seemed to fit. They wanted to at least find out if the boy could win like his monster friends. It reminded them all of the scene in the sky from three years ago.

There was an audible gasp among the crowed when they saw the statue start to shake. Like the response to the earlier attack, the bronze also cracked away. The wings burst apart as a white figure dashed from it's metal cocoon.

The white demon was once again airborne. It had once again shrunken in size. This time, it was as big as a normal Devimon. That however meant that it was as fast as a normal Devimon. It raced off towards the still sprawled out Prince. The boy managed to just barely roll out of the way and on to his feet.

Most of the children watched the Prince avoid attacks directly above them. Hikari on the other hand had been preoccupied with watching the digimon that Jou was attending too. For some reason, the Patamon had caught her eye. She noticed that it tried to stay hidden behind the two cat monsters. She knew most digimon looked the same but for some reason that Patamon looked like Takeru's own partner. She thought about talking to it until she heard a loud thump above her.

The cloaked Prince had lost his balance on something and had fallen. Hikari took a close look at the top of the protective dome and noticed that something was off. There were two smudges on the barrier that she couldn't make out. One streaked out liked someone had tried to wipe it away. She deduced that it had to have been the thing to trip up the Prince. What really caught her eye was the other mark. It looked like a hand print. The closer she looked a them the more she could make out it's contrasting red color on the blue barrier. Had the Prince gotten hurt? If so, then when?

The fight looked to be winding down, or at least the Prince was. He was hardly moving at all anymore. His three companions watched with a look of determination on their faces. They looked like they knew that no matter what, their comrade would win. Hikari looked between both of them and somehow she could connect to their feelings. She watched the Prince with an anticipation just a strong as those three digimon.

Just a mere few feet above the children the fighting continued. That was until the cloaked boy was once again hit by the icy beam. Once again his legs were frozen. Because of the awkward angle of the shot, he was still able to straighten himself out before anything below his knees were completely frozen over. In that one moment on stillness the ice digimon had covered him in a mist of frosty air. It quickly rose to the air in preparation for it's final assault.

The Prince watched as ice started to form around his clothing. One by one, his fingers became more stiff as the time went by. He grit his teeth as he tried to change the source of his power, it was no use. He could feel the ice crawl up his arms and chest. Would this really be the end? To be defeated by some half baked amalgamation that had no will of it's own? To be killed by some petty grudge from some unthinking pawns?

A small voice rung in his ears. It sounded so far away that he thought that he might have imagined it. The Prince looked to the crowed of gawking people. His eyes focused on the dark haired news reporter. His voice was far away and ruff but he could make it out. It was like a whisper to him, but he could hear it clearly, "don't give up." He never though that he would worry his father that much. He could feel every eye that was glued to his from. Chuckles escaped his lips. The more he seemed to watch the ice monster dive down, the funnier the situation got.

It was hilarious; he had almost felt like he would lose just because of a bunch of ice. To be defeated just because he was exhausted. His laughter was audible to the devil flying down at him. He looked up to the incoming foe with a large grin on his face. He waited for the incoming attack with the grin never leaving his face as he was completely frosted over.

Everyone had lost their breath as they watched the cloaked boy completely ice over. IceDevimon was the only one not bothered by it. He was finally happy that the boy could no longer enjoy his own demise. The ice devil pulled back his hand ready to attack. He thrust out at the boy, ready to break him to pieces. He looked into the eyes of he ice statue to see the look of death over come it's eyes. Yet there was nothing, they were empty.

Only when the claws had reached a few inches away from the boy's face, did his eyes come back to life. Only then, was there a sudden movement. As soon as the claws were about to scrape through the ice, their target had shifted by just twisting where he stood, out of the way. That one motion shook away all the ice that had once covered his form. The only thing that the claws had come in to contact with was the hood over the boy's face. They had missed their original target of the boy's face but they wouldn't be stopped that easily. They were about to pierce the boy from behind only to suddenly tense up.

When had been too quick to notice? When had it happened? When had the cloaked Prince pierced it's body? If IceDevimon could form larger thoughts, these might be some of them that flowed through it's mind at the moment. Instead of his opponent, he had been the one to be pierced. It felt it's blood drip along the boy's arm that ran trough it's chest. That one twisting motion was what helped the boy tare through to his core. It could feel it's digicore be grasped tightly in the boy's grip. Blood spayed from it's mouth in a desperate yell.

The children inside Imperialdramon's barrier were disturbed by the violence committed in front of them. Most had forgotten that digimon could even bleed. Most looked away from the scene, yet the contrast of the blood on the Prince's white cloak would stick with all of them. The ones that did look on, saw the light fade from the ice demon's eyes. It's face became lifeless as his killer let out a loud roar that encompassed the small battlefield.

The data that had been left behind zoned back in on the shining, purple digicore. The core absorbed everything from the monster that it had once made. As the orb shined brighter, the Prince's grip grew tighter until it snuffed out it's light completely. The orb broke into bits that were then absorbed by the Prince's cloak. Another piece of cloth sprung from the back, changing the number from three to four. The colors swapped themselves from being white and purple, to purple and white.

Imperialdramon figured that the fight was over and allowed the now unmasked boy to fall into his barrier. Even though it hadn't been that long of a battle, it felt like it took forever to him. He quickly rose to the air to get started on his own work for the day. His friends would know what to do with the unmasked Prince.

The chose children were silent. They didn't know what to say to the one who had fought for them and the one who had annihilated most of the enemies. Hikari was silent as she got a closer look at the Prince. The blood still dripped from his left hand. His blond hair had also been partially stained with red. She watched as he looked at his blood covered hand, as if it was something foreign to him. When he turned to face them, their eyes meet with each other. The familiar red iris was accompanied by a dark purple this time. She wasn't surprised by the sudden loss of purple and the iris' change to their usual blue.

"Long time no see," Takeru smiled.

 **AN: Man, look at that completely unsurprising ending. I know the setup was weak but I always wanted a scene like that.**

 **This is the debut of NeoDevimon, other Angewomon, and other LadyDevimon. This would have had one more angel digimon but that's for next time. I'm glad I was able to balance out their personalities. I like the idea of a shy devil and a mischievous angel. NeoDevimon is supposed to have his emotions locked away so I went with a very formal way of talking.**

 **Takeru also showed off the metal power of Baihumon, along with his first solo victory. I didn't want to turn the bronze cannon into pure energy beam like described, so gave it the full properties of his Kongou attack. I diminished that attack to just causing temporary paralysis.**

 **The elements for the four holy beasts (saint beasts), constantly change around depending on what media you're consuming. It's kind iffy on just the base elements but I'll get to that in a bit. The only constants are generally the phoenix and the tortoise. They consistently hold fire and water respectively. Fun fact: While Xuanwumon does carry a green aura, the folk creature is called the black turtle. That's why Takeru's cloak trim is black.**

 **The dragon and tiger are the ones that I see get he most change in powers. The dragon seems to just generally be on of the sky. I've mostly seen it have the powers of wind. The tiger is in an odd situation. It's element seems to be metal. That could be used like I've written above or as a connection to electricity.**

 **To be fair, most of my information comes from the original three beyblade series. That gave you the two examples above. So when I do use the holy beast digimon again in another story, and I will, I'll be taking power cues from there if I can. Even though that might not be for a while.**

 **Well I rambled again, that being said, I'd like to ask something. I tend to say leave a review but that implies leaving a critique of some sort. Leave whatever you like, no matter how simple it may be. Reviews aren't just for me, but also for everyone else on the site. The smallest of opinions can help sway someone else, me, or give us both a deeper insight on the story. That's why I share so much in these Author Notes.**

 **Now that being said, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter that in retrospect, is thankfully shorter than the last. I hope you can leave a comment of any sort for this chapter and look forward to the next. This time we WILL be dealing with the wold tour arc. However, knowing how this story will go, we'll only be fallowing one pair.**


	6. Blood Red Eyes

**Chapter 6:**

 **Blood Red Eyes**

Takeru grinned at everyone who was riding on top of Imperialdramon. The atmosphere in their protective dome had become dry. He could feel the blood starting to dry on his skin, especially the bits in his hair.

Everyone else showed a handful different expressions. Some of surprise, others of confusion. No one had a truly pleased look on their face to show, not that anyone could blame them. They had all been assaulted with something that was hard to comprehend. Takeru noticed only one look of understanding, it came from a similar pair of blue eyes. The owner of those eyes walked up to him. Takeru felt the other blond's hand tentatively grip his shoulder. An act to make sure that he was really there.

"I don't know why you didn't grab me on the other side," Takeru said. "You got blood all over your hand, bro."

Yamato looked down at his hand to find it covered in red. He stared at it hard and tried to member the last time he had seen a digimon bleed. It had been quite a while. He looked on as his younger brother grasped his red stained hand.

"But don't worry about it too much. Digimon may breath and bleed the same as us, but they're still made of data." Takeru gave his brother's hand a single wipe and the blood turned to bits and went into his now, beige cloak. "I'm still not good at using attacks or converting data, so my fights aren't as clean as they could be."

He brought his right hand up to the left side of his face. He completely brushed passed the left side of his body. The red liquid dissipated and went into the cloak. "If I'm not distracted at all, it's easy to handle," Takeru explained.

Takeru had wiped up all the blood but he couldn't help but feel that something was still off on the left side of his face. He looked to his brother who was pointing at his cheek. Takeru touched to where his brother was pointing and felt something damp. He examined his hand that now felt wet. Blood did not only smear on his fingertips, but also his palm. His left eye twitched as he was hit with a sudden stinging sensation. The impending yelp of pain was lost to the outside world.

After getting treated by Jou, who was by now destroying towers in Australia; Takeru sat with his legs crossed with two cats curled in their center, while Patamon rested atop his hat-less head. It was much colder in France than it was back in Japan, but it beat being frozen in ice. He and Taichi were waiting for his grandfather to show up and help them get around the city of Paris.

Takeru had wondered why his brother opted to go with Ken to Mexico, but kept it to himself. He spent most of the short trip sleeping anyway. He kept petting the two cats to keep his hands warm while he thought about the Demon Lord's next plans. He needed the rest to keep his stomach from spilling out of his mouth. He had almost pushed it too far in that last fight. The rest he had gotten on the trip over was shorter than he had expected. Just a few more minutes would be enough to settle himself.

"You're not going to vomit on me, are you?" Taichi chuckled to the blond.

"I hope not," Takeru laughed back. He paused only for a moment, "why did you and Yamato decide to switch locations?"

"That… was at his request," Taichi stated. "We all wanted to find out what you've been up to. Yamato wanted me to go because he felt that he would have gone a bit easy on you, and not gotten any information." The two of them laughed at the thought of the older blond babying the younger one. "He spouted off something like, 'the leader should be the representative for the others,' so here I am."

Takeru hummed to himself in thought. He had fallen asleep while Jou was still treating him, but it could have only been for ten minutes, at the most. Everyone quickly made it too their destinations, so that conversation had to have been mostly shared between just Taichi and his brother. "Where would you like to start, then?" As long as he didn't reveal too much, there was no harm in humoring everyone's curiosity.

Taichi had a lot of questions to ask. Most of them came from the others, while Takeru was resting quietly in Imperialdramon. Those questions however, took last place to his own. "What's up with that whole, 'Prince', business?"

Takeru was caught off guard. He had expected the first question to be about the Demon Lord or what he had been up to. Leave it to Taichi to start with something trivial. That being said, he didn't want to talk about that matter either. It was even more embarrassing than his cloak.

"My sister came up with that title," Tailmon had crawled up to the shoulder closest to Taichi. "We're fighting a Demon Lord, so I thought that Takeru should have a title just as fitting. We all threw out a lot of ideas, but hers stuck. His full title is, the Prince of balance."

"Why balance?" Agumon asked.

"Because he's attaining the powers of the Harmonious Ones. Also-" The felines mouth was covered by a hand that also gripped her face.

"That's enough with embarrassing me for one day," Takeru scolded. "Next question."

"So who is this Demon Lord guy?" "Agumon spoke up. "I guess he's some strong, evil digimon, right?"

"Yep," Patamon chirped. "He's a Mega level fallen angel type digimon. Like Devimon but one hundred times more evil. If you make him angry enough, he can burn down a whole forest."

"Good thing we were in the dark world when that happened," Takeru thought out loud.

"He sounds like a pretty bad dude," Taichi agreed. "So, you think we can beat him along with whoever is sending us around the world?"

"There's no, 'we,' or, 'think,' about it," Takeru looked up to the leader of the chosen. " _I will_ defeat him. You guys should just worry about who's popping up these towers"

"Wait a minute there, Takeru. We're all a team; you don't have to go off fighting on your own."

"Please don't take that the wrong way," BlackTailmon apologized for her leader. "It's just that the Demon Lord is someone who needs to be defeated in a specific way. Takeru even asked us to stand down when fighting him and will only have Patamon supporting him."

"You said he's a Mega. You were having problems with that IceDevimon by yourself, so I don't think you can fight him with just the two of you." Taichi was staring down at the blond boy who he couldn't understand. "You're going to need more help than that."

Takeru rose to his feet and looked Taichi dead in the eyes. "If I can't handle someone like that with only Patamon, then I've wasted my time getting these powers."

"So this is just some kind of test to you?" Taichi drew a glare. "You'll put Patamon at risk for your own selfishness?" Taichi looked down at the boy with a judgmental stare. It's not that he truly thought poorly of the boy, but he couldn't comprehend his thinking.

When he first saw the boy after the week of his absents, it was obvious that he had changed. That one fight was enough to see where he stood in relation to not only his own problems, but their problems as a group. The way he handled the fight back home seemed selfish and antagonistic. The smile that graced the boys face didn't fit with his own mental picture of the boy, but in reality it fit there perfectly. He never remembered Takeru liking to fight that much. It didn't sit well with him.

"And what about those powers of yours?" Taichi kept probing. He had heard that the blond could lose himself to them.

Takeru's eyes changed to a combination of red and purple, "There just fine. As long as my will is strong enough, there won't be any problems."

"Is it really alright; to keep getting more power like that? Especially…"

"Especially from evil digimon? I'll be fine. Xuanwumon and Baihumon agreed to come along with me. Dagomon doesn't know how to use anything but the powers of darkness, and IceDevimon is a mindless puppet."

The two boys stood there in the cold staring at each other. Only the sound of a revving engine caused them to bake eye contact. Takeru's grandfather had finally arrived to pick them up. They had to only quickly explain that Paris was in trouble to catch his grandfather up to speed. He believed them in one go and was ready to protect the entire country of France alone, if needed.

Takeru quickly made his way to the back of the bike and mounted the space behind is grandfather. Taichi took the side car with the digimon. The two didn't speak with any real animosity towards each other but their was something to be felt in the cold air.

Takeru's grandfather had noticed the tension, but kept it to himself. Tonight was full of surprises for him. To be asked by his grandson to drive him around Paris on such short notice. Being told about monsters attacking his home in the dead of night; on Christmas of all nights as well. He had been told he would be meeting Yamato but was surprised to find Takeru instead. No matter, he would help either of his grandsons in order to protect Paris' holy night.

* * *

The dark tower in the Seine river had been destroyed and the digimon were sent back to the digital world. The two chosen from Japan looked up at the others that had arrived on the bridged and waved with thanks. They had made sure all of France was digimon free.

Taichi looked down and over to the blond who had been a large help with the command of three Ultimate digimon. Whether Patamon digivolved to NeoDevimon like in Odaiba, or MagnaAngemon like here in Paris, he was a force to be reckoned with.

"That's some good team work you guys have," Taichi complemented the blond.

Takeru smiled, "that's mostly because those twins work so well together. It's because of them helping us that NeoDevimon is as useful as he is."

That got Taichi to start thinking about his own experience with dark digivolving. Takeru seemed to talk about his own with a slight fondness. "How did it happen? All of it."

Takeru thought back to his past week. He had never fought as much as he had in the past week. He had found Baihumon with the help of BlackTailmon. He had kept tabs on her, and she had found her sister who had been fallowing Baihumon. It was a really lucky situation, so he didn't question it in the slightest.

What he hadn't expected was for the white tiger to want to fight him himself. Unlike his eastern brother, the tiger had been looking forward to meeting him ever since the time in the Holy Stone. Takeru had digivolved Patamon to MagnaAngemon on the spot and they had brawled for what felt like half a day.

The two had lost miserably. Baihumon told duo that the they still weren't using everything they had to come at him. The tiger explained that the two needed more than spirit and conviction to fight. They had to think about how they fought and how they used that spirit and conviction.

Everyone had called it a day as soon as the sun went down. They all gathered together to eat dinner. That was when they had gotten to really meet Tailmon. The white feline was an odd digimon, to say the least. She had so much energy and was very mischievous. They found it amusing at how different she was from her sister and the Tailmon that they had know personally.

As they were eating, Baihumon talked more about the powers the boy possessed. Xuanwumon had given him a crash course on the basics, but mostly only explained about his own powers. Baihumon explained about the powers that were shared among all the holy beasts. He could share his power with other digimon to help them digivolve just as he did with Patamon.

Curious, Tailmon asked him to test it out on the twins themselves. After they had finished eating, he gave it a try with BlackTailmon, but it didn't seem to work. He then moved on to Tailmon and had gotten it right on his first try. Baihumon explained that most virus digimon that leaned to the darkness, digivolved with, said darkness. Takeru tried again, this time using the dark manipulation he had learned from Xuanwumon. The black cat digimon digivolved to a dark fallen angel.

Baihumon also explained that if he had really wanted to, he could have digivolved both of them to the other's Ultimate form. He explained that darkness and light were two sides of the same coin. What truly mattered was the coin it self and not the side that it landed on. That was the white tiger's only hint on how to defeat him. They all went to bed after that.

That night, Takeru had laid awake thinking about what Baihumon had told him. He could easily guess at what the Harmonious One would want him to do when they fought again. It's what Xuanwumon had told him to do to all of the other holy beasts if he were to fight them. He would have to counter their holy powers with darkness.

The problem would be that it would cause Patamon to dark digivolve. Takeru knew exactly what type of digimon he would digivolve into as well. He didn't want his friend to turn into that kind of monster. To turn into a devil that still haunted his dreams.

He tossed and turned until he noticed the two felines curling in on each other. He wondered how two digimon could be so poorly matched with their own digivolutions. BlackTailmon was so docile that when she turned into LadyDevimon, her meekness was even more endearing than before. He sister on the other hand couldn't wait to test out her holy powers and spent most of her time flying about. Their personality hadn't changed with their forms at all. He knew that if he was able to dark digivolve correctly, Patamon wouldn't lose himself, but he couldn't believe in himself to make it work. He went to sleep with thoughts of digivolution on his mind.

The next morning Takeru was woken up by claws stabbing him in his side. Tailmon had wanted to try digivolving again before breakfast. Her sister and Patamon were still sleeping, and Baihumon had gone out to gather food. He complied with the cat and they both took off a little ways form the two still sleeping digimon.

Takeru watched as Angewomon flew around at a blinding speed. He was impressed at how digimon could get so accustomed to their new forms in such a quick manner. He had just gotten a better control over Xuanwumon's power himself, and that was after days of having it. He smiled as she landed near him and reverted back to her smaller form.

The cat was beaming at him for giving her the chance to digivolve. She then surprised him by asking if he could digivolve her into a LadyDevimon. He didn't want to do it at first, but she persuaded him by saying that it would be practice for his next fight. He agreed and tried dark digivolving the white feline.

He felt his digivice light with darkness as he tried to focus in on Tailmon. Manipulationg darkness meant confronting your _negative_ feelings. For Takeru, that mostly meant bring his anger and guilt to the forefront, his regret. It was a side of himself that he didn't get the chance to show often, so it didn't bother him much to deal with those feelings. His only worry was that his fear would overcome all of those other feelings. If that happened, then he wouldn't be able to act, and it would lead to a vicious mental cycle. He looked down into the blue eyes of the digimon watching him and a feeling of relief washed over him. At least during this one moment, he had nothing to worry about. He just had to use the time he fought along side BlackWarGreymon as a base.

The digivolution was strong but slow. She was wrapped in a dark light as her form slowly changed into that of a womanly devil. Takeru watched as the female devil looked her self over in wonder. He himself looked winded, but he managed to ask if she was also okay.

He was caught of guard as the devil grasped him into a tight hug. She spun him around, spouting something about being closer to the sister than she ever had been in years. Takeru couldn't take his eyes off the bright smile that she wore. He couldn't believe how the digivolution hadn't changed her personality in the slightest. She was still the same energetic digimon he had met just yesterday.

The two were interrupted by Patamon and BlackTailmon coming to tell them it was time for breakfast. The two digimon were surprised to see the lady devil there. BlackTailmon was rushed by her sister and grasped in a tight hug.

Takeru and Patamon watched as the excited devil took to the sky with her sister. Patamon was surprised that Takeru could get a handle on dark digivolving in just one morning. He asked if they would try to fight Baihumon again that day.

That was when a thought hit Takeru. It was something he would normally never think about, but it really needed to be answered. He asked his partner why he was fallowing him, even now. Takeru knew that the digimon would protect their child no matter what, but his actions also went against what the chosen were there for. They were just there to protect the digital world, in a way that would bring peace to all. Right now Takeru wasn't thinking of doing things the way that were planed out of him. He was selfishly walking his own path that was different from the others. Patamon's main job was to help him stay on the right path, so why hadn't he put up a fight against anything he had done and planed to do?

The small digimon looked to his partner with a clueless expression. He told Takeru that he would fallow him anywhere, in any world. It was said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Patamon smiled to his speechless partner. He was surprised that Takeru would ask such a thing. Even if the blond truly wanted to go against his friends, or even the world, he wouldn't leave him. He would bring Takeru back to his senses if he needed to, but he didn't think a time like that would come. Even during the time when he had gotten that demonic look in his eyes while protecting the Holy Stone from BlackWarGreymon, Takeru's own spirit shown through, past and above everything else.

Patamon flew into Takeru's arms and told him that even if he did turn evil, he would bring him back to his naturally good self. He reassured Takeru that he was also doing the right thing, and that he would be able to pull it off with his help.

Takeru couldn't help but hold Patamon closer to him. He let out a few tears as his fur brushed against his face. He had truly made a life long friend. He made an extra promise to himself that he wouldn't let Patamon down. He would make sure that the trust his partner had in him was warranted.

The two smiled at each other as LadyDevimon had finally made it back. She dedigivolved back to Tailmon so everyone could go back and get breakfast. Strangely enough, breakfast was a lot more livelier than dinner had been that last night. Everyone seemed to have more energy than before.

Baihumon talked about really wanting to meet Takeru and slugging it out with him. He always welcomed anyone who could put any part of him to the test. They joked about why BlackWarGreymon couldn't have ended up in the west than in the east. Things would have wrapped up much quicker if that had happened.

The white tiger also expressed interest in the boy's plans to gather all of the holy beasts. Xuanwumon had already given the blond his power. It could be confirmed by the holy binding that he wore on his left arm. The holy beast's digcore was nothing more than a will that resided within the boy now.

The blond had turned down working together with the Harmonious Ones in order to gain each of their powers for himself. That plan was almost completely diabolical, if it wasn't for the sake of protecting the world in a why that they couldn't. In a way that none of them even dared to try. Yet, this boy dared for them. The tiger would gladly fallow anyone with a such a striking personality, they just needed to be able to best him in battle as well. The boy had only partially won him over, but he felt that the other half was soon to come.

The with tiger asked if the boy would be ready to fight before or after lunch. The blond requested the fight for after lunch. He wanted to practice digivolving more before they went into their next battle. Baihumon could only laugh as he thought about how the boy would continue with the digimon he had at hand.

The Harmonious One explained that Takeru wasn't even doing what was explained to him last night. The tiger grinned at the confused look on the boy's face. Takeru had been mostly using only his digivice to digivolve the digimon. From the time he had gotten out of the Holy Stone, he's only used the binding's power of digivolution twice. Once when he had first gotten out of the Holy Stone, that time the stone helped move things along. The second time was when he was in the dark ocean. He knew that because all of the Harmonious Ones could tell when eachother's powers were in use. If he had truly been using his bindings correctly, they would haved shined. To be fair, the last time they had shown was when he was fighting with a fully digivolved digimon.

Takeru was surprised that his digivice could help other digimon digivolve, but it wasn't unheard of. He heard from Jou and Mimi, that Leomon could digivolve to Mega because of the digivice. Baihumon explained that Takeru wasn't even using all of the binding's power at his disposal when he fought yesterday. The tiger instructed that he focused more on using the binding's power.

The time flew by as Takeru practiced with the three digimon. The sun had reached it's peak and the four of them came back for lunch. The practice was much needed. He realized that he and Patamon were much stronger than they both had thought. It didn't really come from the raw power of the digicores, but from the assortment of abilities from the digimon that had once held them. Just having Xuanwumon's core was enough to theoretically defeat Baihumon. What they lacked in their first battle was a flexible fighting style and an equally flexible conviction.

Takeru had always had some sort of outside motivation when it came to fighting. He never like it all that much until he started sharing the feelings of the one's he was fighting with. All of his past battles were either life or death, or he never planed on winning in the first place. Even now, his main goal was to protect the digital world in his own way, but he came to Baihumon for his own reasons. He had wanted to meet the holy beast who had encouraged him, so badly. This one fight might have been one of his most selfish requests even if it was graciously accepted. He wasn't used to these types of feelings. He needed to better grasp the feeling of fighting for himself within his own heart.

The five of them ate lunch while talking about plans for after the fight. The twins had asked to come along to help both Takeru and Patamon with protecting the world. The two mostly just wandered around by themselves, so it wasn't like they had somewhere to go back too.

Tailmon exclaimed about how the blond had managed to charm both her and her sister. She had been fallowing Baihumon who offered to help find her sister. So she felt it was right to keep hanging around the blond boy who had done just that, and would be taking the tiger's place. BlackTailmon would be eternally grateful about how the two helped her find her sister, so she was easy to persuade.

Baihumon also explained about how the state of the digital world would be effected after his defeat. The distortions would only grow larger. Instead of just digimon, they could take whole towns. They would have to close each one on their way to the next Harmonious One.

After lunch was finished, the twins backed away from the area of the ensuing battle. Takeru dark digivolved Patamon into Devimon. No matter how much he had practiced it before hand, it was still unnerving. He felt his skin crawl as he looked at the devil's back. Only when Devimon turned around and showed him his eyes was Takeru put to ease. After sharing that single glance, did the two rush into battle.

The second fight was much shorter but also much more fierce. Neither side let up. The ground molded to their battle and cracked under it's pressure. It was hard to hold the ever charging Baihumon back, but the two didn't give up. It looked like the fight would end in a tie until Devimon managed to digivolve again. NeoDevimon managed to tip the scales in the duo's favor just enough to edge out a win.

Baihumon could only smile in his defeat. Takeru could easily tell that Baihumon was truly the free spirit of the Harmonious Ones. He congratulated the boy and his partner with a grin. He told the boy that with him on his side, there was nothing to fear. No other holy beast, demon, or any dragon could hope to stand in their way.

The tiger's twelve digital cores gathered into his form. His body then slowly turned into digital data and gathered into Takeru's hands. Takeru held up a bright, white digital core. Takeru closed his eyes and remembered Xuanwumon's green core. Just like that time, the core broke apart and it's data was absorbed by his cloak. The two pieces in the back made way for a third one to sprout out. A holy biding formed on his right wrist to match the one on his left. Takeru was grateful that Baihumon had gladly given him his ferocity and conviction.

After that, the group of four started to make their way through the west part of the digital world. The were heading south to find the next Harmonious One. They would run in to distortions but sealing them wasn't hard. The Harmonious Ones controlled the balance of the digital world, so Takeru also held that power. The real problem was where those distortions were leading. They all lead to the dark world. Takeru wasn't originally bothered by it but he felt a disturbance coming from them. He could guess at what it was but it quickly made itself known before he got the chance.

The Demon Lord that had been sealed there had been awoken. He quickly brought up an uprising and gathered the sea creatures of the dark ocean together. The Demon Lord had created their own little army. It didn't help that he also had a few Ultimate digimon working under him as well.

Takeru's trip had been put on hold. He had wanted to get at least one more digicore from a Harmonious One. He would just have to make do with the two he had and the one extra that he had picked up. His little group kept up a long fight for the rest of his week.

* * *

"Oddly enough, the latest portals those guys made, led us to the real world," Takeru finished his story. "Conveniently enough, they also led us to you all."

Takeru's story didn't taken too long, yet he found himself surrounded by the chosen from the European area. Even his grandfather was listening intently.

The only one who could slightly keep up was Taichi. He couldn't believe that Takeru was able to let Patamon dark digivolve by will. He couldn't believe that the both of them could stand even doing that. Taichi tried to put his thoughts together but was having a hard time getting past that specific part.

"So all of those cloths aren't real?" asked a blond haired blue eyed girl. She was Catherine, of the French chosen children.

"There as real as our digimon."

"Well, I think wearing those ring things around your ankles is really cute," said another girl.

"Thank you," welcomed Tailmon, "that was my idea." It had only been a week and Takeru was already the white cat's plaything. She had wanted to wear a binding as an anklet as Angewomon, but it couldn't be given away. She settled for him wearing the style for her with both of them.

"Were you planing on going home at least once, Takeru?" His grandfather wanted to know if the boy at least planned on seeing his mother.

Takeru averted his gaze, "sorry grandpa, I was planing on finishing up everything before I went back home."

Taichi hadn't completely gathered his thoughts but he was coherent enough for his next speech. "Takaishi, what's your deal? First you go running off by yourself. Then you start taking out the beings that hold a world together. You also had no plans what so ever to tell anyone what you're doing. Even now it feels like you're not telling us everything."

"You've gotten a lot sharper Taichi," Takeru complemented.

"Takaishi…" Taichi hissed the boy's name.

"You're right. I never planed on telling any of you anything. At least not until everything was over. You all don't need to know. It's got nothing to do with you."

"We're chosen children just like you are. If it's about protecting the world, then we deserve to know just as much as you do. We deserve to know everything about what's going on."

"Just like you knew about the Harmonious Ones?"

"Is that why you did all of this? You're upset that you didn't know why or what you needed to fight for?"

Takeru sighed and rubbed at the back of his head. "Partially, but it mostly because I don't like how we've been doing things. Taichi, what have we really done for the digital world up till know?"

"We've been protecting it up till now. Not just the digital world, but our world too." Taichi was starting to heat up. How could Takeru be acting like this? He should know how important protecting both worlds is. "We even gave up our crests for that protection. We've teamed up with everyone around the world to keep it and the digimon safe."

"And what has anyone of these international chosen children done for the digital world until now? What can we expect from a bunch of people who can't even go there?" Takeru's eyes became just the slightest bit cold. "What did giving up or crest truly prevent? The balance between the worlds is worse than it's ever been. You can't even digivolve to Ultimate by yourself anymore. I'm not going to let these, _grater powers_ , guide me with out a clue anymore."

Taichi had had enough the boy's back talk. He grabbed Takeru by the collar of his cloak. Everyone gasped but Takeru's grandfather kept them from interfering. This was a conversation between friends. He'd step in if the situation truly called for it.

"Everything we've done has been for the well being of the worlds around us," Taichi grit. "I thought you understood that."

"I do, and I don't regret the things I've done," Takeru gripped Taichi's wrist. "But I have an unending list of regrets, of things that I couldn't do anything about."

Taichi was struck with a sudden burst of empathy. He knew the feeling of blaming himself for things that couldn't be help. All of the children did in some sense. "Somethings just can't be helped, Takeru. It's not your fault." He could easily guess about what the boy was feeling conflicted about. An image of an angel being turned to digital bits flashed in his memory. Even he felt a little bitter about losing his crest for what now seemed like no reason at all. When adding in the Digimon Kaiser's take over, he too felt a pang of uselessness.

"I know, but sometimes I can't help but feel that way," Takeru almost sounded like he was tearing up. "But I was given the power to do something about those feelings," he freed himself from Taichi's grip. "Not just mine, but others as well," his iris once again turned red; his pupils slit. "I'm going to take this chance to put an end to everything from the past."

Taichi didn't know what more he could say. He didn't know what the boy was now going through. Takeru stood in a place that was different from the other chosen children. "We can't stop every dark digimon at once. We'll always be fighting the darkness. Even the ones from our past."

"I know we can't stop every single bad thing from happening. We can only mitigate the darkness's reach as much as we can. It's a constant race to zero that we'll never be able to finish. But light and darkness don't have to stay at in constant struggle. At least not like it's been doing."

Taichi looked the blond in the eyes. They were unwavering. How had he gotten so far away from everyone else? Takeru was the one who had wanted everyone to stay together the most during their first adventure. Now, that kind boy was fighting so far away on his own. Sure he had Patamon and other digimon with him, but he was taking on Mega level digimon without his friend's help.

"I know what you're thinking, but Takeru isn't alone," BlackTailmon spoke up. "I know he told us not to interfere sometimes but we would never let anything bad happen to him."

"We'll butt in even if he doesn't want us to," Tailmon added. "Takeru was the only one to suggest only fighting with Patamon, so we out ruled him on that anyway."

Taichi quietly chuckled at the white cat's selfishness. It only made sense that someone more stubborn than Takeru would be the one to keep an eye on him. He felt just a bit better, but his unease was still there. Takeru may not accept his help, but he still needed to know about anything that could be a threat. If he just happened to take down that threat before Takeru did, then the blond could just blame fate, or something like it.

"So about the Demon Lord…?" Taichi started. "He's after Ken. We need to know what we're up against. Also, why did he only show up now? Those dark creatures could leave well enough alone, so what's his deal?"

Takeru could feel his shame crawling on his back. His voice was small but, clear none the less, "It's because…"

"It's because the child of hope released the Demon Lord's seal," echoed a heavenly voice from above. The voice however wasn't sweet or kind. It rung with a judgmental, damning tone.

Everyone looked up to find a silver, bladed, angelic digimon. It had sharp blades for its arms, wings, and even his shoes. A blade even protruded from it's metal face mask.

"An angel digimon, again?" Agumon could only remark at how similar today and last night were. "Who are _you_?"

"I'm SlashAngemon, a heavenly agent of the Harmonious Ones," introduced the metal angel.

If that was the case… "Then you're here to help us?" Taichi questioned. "If you are, then you're too late."

"I'm not here to assist you chosen children. You've done a fine job on your own. I'm here for the chosen of hope. You do know why I'm here, don't you?"

"What do you want with Takeru?" Patamon puffed from atop Takeru's head, he knew it couldn't be anything good. "He hasn't done anything wrong." Patamon was about to say more until a blade struck the ground in front of the blond.

Takeru stared into the angel's black vizor. "Could it be that you'd like to see someone actually get something accomplished?"

"You shouldn't speak poorly of the Harmonious Ones."

"No, I'm speaking of everyone that you've ever served under. But I guess the holy beasts are the ones who hold your leash now, don't they?"

"They give me my orders. Zhuqiaomon was the one who ordered me to find you."

"And I assume your orders are to kill me?"

"Yes." The angel's razor sharp wings spread further apart. They reflected the lights from the bridged and the street. It almost gave the bladed angel a golden shine.

"Wait a second," Taichi yelled. "Why would the Harmonious Ones want to kill Takeru? I don't get what's going on."

The metal angel looked down at the child of courage. "Gennai hasn't told you anything, has he?" The brown headed boy gave him a look of confusion. "And neither have you," he looked down to Takeru. "Fine; so you may know the will of my master, I' shall tell you the events of the past."

There once was a golden dragon with eight blood red eyes. The dragon constantly broke the world apart to it's simplest pieces. It separated those parts into extremes of light and dark. The two pieces consistently came back together to reform the world. It was an endless cycle of deconstruction, separation, and the reformation the world. Each cycle was different from the last. Different monsters were born and new areas were created. The only consistent change was that the number of digimon would increase, and older areas would grow larger than before.

No other digimon was strong enough to live through the destruction, but their data also reformed with the world. Only the dragon would see the beginnings and ends of their digital world. That was until one cycle, where the heavenly area had grown unbelievably large. They were able to sense the dragon's presence and his actions. None of the angel digimon acted until one of them descended and declared war on the dragon in person. The rookie digimon swore to defeat the dragon emperor who ruled their world.

That rookie digimon had carried an odd power. It made him stronger and wiser than most other digimon. No one knew the cause but some assumed he carried along his power with the destruction of the world. Never fully restarting, but only gaining more power after every reformation. The other angel digimon decided to put their faith into this rookie, and fallowed him into battle.

The dragon was caught off guard by the full assault of the angel's attack. All the others fallowed the lead of the young rookie. Their battle raged on for weeks but they managed to over take the dragon emperor. They couldn't destroy the dragon, for he was apart of the world itself. They didn't know the repercussions it's death could cause, so they decided to seal it within the deepest, darkest part of the core of the world.

An era of peace was brought to the world under the angel's watch, with the rookie acting as their new ruler. The peace lasted for many years, however as the years kept on, the ruler started to change. A nagging feeling kept popping in the back of his mind. He mobilized many angels to see if they could find the anomaly. None of them could find what their ruler was agonizing over and he started to become paranoid as more time went by.

As his paranoia grew, so did his power. Slowly but surely, darkness took to his heart until he was able to digivolve to his Ultimate form. His paranoia grew until he was suspicious of the ones he ruled. It was unintentional but he brought forth a time of darkness. It was as if some sort of natural instinct awakened in him to ward off an invisible enemy. The land grew darker and colder, along with his heart. Living began to become harder for every other digimon in the world. It was as if he was in a battle with the very world itself.

His wary feelings however, weren't completely unfounded. Unknown to even the ruler himself, the dragon emperor's powers were leaking from the world. At the four corners of the world, incredibly powerful beings were being born. Beasts that held the power of the golden dragon, along with his blood red eyes.

After their birth, the four beasts made their way to the Ultimate ruler, to talk things out. They didn't fallow the same way of thinking as the golden dragon. They wanted to work together with the Ultimate digimon, to bring back the days of lost peace.

Their words were lost on the Ultimate digimon, and they were immediately beaten into submission. The ruler wouldn't stand being made a fool of. Something that came from that dragon couldn't be anything good. He would destroy anything that threatened his rule. This world was now his and he wouldn't give it up to anyone.

Before he could destroy the four beast, his right hand angel, Seraphimon, stopped him. Only at his request did he spare the beast's lives. They left after giving him a warning of impending defeat if he didn't change his ways.

That day of waring quickly came and the Ultimate was ready for the four. What he hadn't prepared for was the betrayal of some of his fellow angel digimon. Even SlashAngemon, who lead the armed troops was against him. He couldn't believe it and slowly the darkness in his heart started to take full control of his digicore. He was about to lash out at the traitors until Seraphimon literally stabbed him in the back.

The highest ranked angel's sword protruded through the Ultimate ruler's chest. As he fell, he could see his right hand angel be enveloped in darkness until he digivolved. It was at that moment, that the darkness over took both of them. The traitorous Seraphimon fought the holy beast for control of the digital world while his past ruler agonized in his defeat.

It was something new to the Ultimate, losing. He had never been defeated before. To have been betrayed by his subjects that didn't believe in him anymore, and then be struck down by the one who he had trusted the most was too much of a humiliation. He wouldn't stand for that kind of disrespect. As his blood pooled under his body, his eyes glowed even redder that the sticky liquid. He would show them all not to underestimate their one true ruler. He would start over, like the dragon before him, and make a perfect world.

As the angels took down the now demonic traitor, the holy beast fought past to get to the fallen Ultimate. As they were about to make their way to him, they were greeted with and inhuman cry. The area burst into flames and out of them flew a dark violet dragon. Darkness permeated off of it's body as it ravaged the ground with it's flames.

Unlike the first time when the beasts had came to talk, they were now ready to fight to the death. It still took all of them working together to even bring the dragon into a state that they could deal with. As soon as the angel digimon contained the demonic traitor, they suggested that they should seal the dark dragon like they had done the golden one earlier.

No one wanted to think about what would happened if this dragon's power seeped through the world as well, but they didn't have any other choice. They couldn't defeat the dark dragon so they sealed him in the same prison as the golden dragon. The seal would also restrain the demonic traitor to the dark world that was created as well.

Once again the world was safe, but it's lands were still bleak. The Holy Beasts would repair the balance of the world to recede the darkness as much as they could. If they were able to take control of the world itself it could be done. They wouldn't live as rulers but protectors of the digital world. They would only interfere when necessary.

The angel digimon that were left after the battle were only a few. They all left to live on their own except for SlashAngemon. He would be an agent for the now, Harmonious Ones, whenever any of them needed his assistance. All of them would work hard to keep the two dragons within their seals, for if either of them were to awaken, it could bring forth the end of not only the digital world but now the real one as well.

* * *

Everyone present was enraptured by the story told. The only two humans who had even been to the digital world that were there, were Taichi and Takeru. To the other children, it sounded even more like an old fairytale.

"That's all there is," finished SlashAngemon. "If the child of hope keeps going on as he's been doing, the dragons will awaken like the Demon Lord already has. It will bring forth the end of the digital world."

"You say that like the end of the world hasn't already started. It's not like Takeru doesn't have a plan for when those dragons wake up."

"Wait a minute, everyone calm down," Taichi yelled, he was still trying to take everything in. "What if Takeru just stops taking power from the Harmonious Ones."

"Do you think he'll stop, child? Out of all of us here, he's the one who should know the story the best, considering he shares the memories of the Harmonious Ones he's already absorbed."

Even without that extra bit of information, Taichi knew that Takeru wouldn't stop. He had to have known everything that was going on for weeks by now. He couldn't understand why Takeru would willingly let loose two incredibly powerful digimon.

"Takeru… you…" Taichi chocked out.

"You know SlashAngemon, I'm also apart of the Harmonious Ones right now," Takeru moved away from the group. "You're still going to fight me, knowing that?" The blond's eyes grew sharper. He was ready for the battle if it decided to come.

For the first time the angel didn't give an immediate response. The thin line that was his mouth, quivered ever so slightly.

"Besides, it's not like Qinglongmon wants me dead. Shouldn't you be acting on your own feelings, instead of the orders of others by now?"

"I am a warrior who upholds justice. I will fight for those who know what is right." That was the belief that SlashAngemon lived by.

"That's not fun at all," Takeru grinned. "Even if he's scum, I identify more with Dae-" another blade rested before the boy's feet.

"Do not speak that traitor's name!" The metal warrior yelled. "Don't compare me to that scum"

Takeru smirked, "all I'm saying, is that maybe you should try thinking and acting for yourself."

SlashAngemon landed in front of the boy and looked down to the earth. "For… myself?" Hesitation sprawled through his body but resolution soon set in. "I swore I would fallow the orders given to me," he rose his blades. "I am sorry; you must die."

"Then…" Takeru's digivice glowed, "I am sorry…" MagnaAngemon appeared behind him ready to fight, "as well…"

The two holy digimon rushed each other. Their two weapons clashed repeatedly as they parried each other's sword attacks. Takeru kept a close watch on the fight as the two quickly took to the air. He didn't have any time to waste. He had been fighting too long and needed to end things as quickly as possible.

Taichi was amazed at the speed at which the digimon were fighting. "Do either of you know how strong that guy is?" Taichi asked the twins.

"If I remember correctly he's a Mega level digimon," answered BlackTailmon.

"What? Why isn't he using you guys as well, or doing that weird power up thing Hikari told me about? MagnaAngemon should be shining gold or something."

"Takeru told us that he hasn't be able to tap into that power since the first time he did it. And he doesn't have the power to help us digivolve. We're almost able to do it on our own, but right now all of us are to tired. He can only maintain MagnaAngemon right now."

"What about NeoDevimon? Wouldn't he have some kind of advantage?" asked Agumon.

"No, that's a double edge sword. Holy and dark digimon are extremely effective against each other. With their level difference, SlashAngemon would have too much of an advantage," Tailmon answered this time. "That, and Takeru is being too cocky for his own good. He's not just battling with SlashAngemon, but he's going out of his way to make a point."

"What do you mean?"

"Takeru wouldn't shy away from that disadvantage. He would gladly put everything on the line with a one hit knockout. He's trying to show SlashAngemon that his own holy form is more than enough to beat him, even if it would take longer. Honestly, either way has about that same chance of victory."

The two angels spiraled through the air taking stabs at each other. That was until SlashAngemon got behind his opponent and got him into a full nelson. From their he spread his wings further apart. He turned them inward, ready to pierce the one in his hold.

The two started to go into free fall as the metallic angel was about to finish is foe. What he hadn't counted on, was MagnaAngemon being able to twist his arm far enough back to have his sword's holder point at his face. The purple angel gave a shot of, "Excaliburst," and he neon saber extended and grazed across the metal angel's vizor.

The two broke apart and regained their bearings just over the flowing river. SlashAngemon however, could not catch a brake. He barely managed to dodge a direct hit from Takeru's Iron Claw. He watched the boy land on an ice platform that he quickly created for himself in the river. His eyesight was slightly diminished but it would only be temporary. He needed to attack safely.

The two watched as the silver angel rose to the air only to spread his wings once more. This time they pointed to Takeru and rained an unending stream of blades down at him. The boy quickly brought up a frozen wave for protection. It didn't last long against the Mega's assault. Takeru's icy barrier shattered, and his platform crumbled under the attack. He held his arms up to shield himself from the attack as he fell into the river.

MagnaAngemon watched as his partner submerged into the river. He was so distracted that he hadn't noticed that SlashAngemon was rushing him. He was about to be hit by the silver angel's, Heaven's Ripper attack, until his assailant was hit by two missiles. The purple angel looked over to find MetalGreymon standing next to Taichi with his chest silos open.

"What are you doing MagnaAngemon?" Taichi yelled. "Go get Takeru!"

"Well handle things here until then," MetalGreymon spoke. The two watched the angel dive into the water. "Now… how do we handle a Mega until they get back?"

"Takeru and MagnaAngemon managed to damage him." Taichi stared at the slashed vizor, and the red stain at SlashAngemon's side. "We just have to attack him there."

"Do not interfere, child of courage," warned SlashAngemon. "I have no reason or will to fight you. My only target is the child of hope."

If the angel wasn't planing on attacking, then this would be easier than Taichi had originally thought. He order MetalGreymon to attack again. Two more missiles flew from his chest at the bladed angel. He watched as the angel raggedly dodged out of the way.

"Sorry to burst your bubble but we gave up those crests a long time ago," Taichi spoke. "I'm just plain old Taichi Yagami. A guy who will protect his friends, no matter what. Even if I'm doubting them just a bit."

"That's right, we won't let you hurt one of our friends," MetalGreymon added. "Even if one of the Harmonious Ones sent you, we'll send you home packing."

"You have no idea of the destruction that could be brought if we let either of those dragons awaken," the silver angel explained.

"I've seen the digital world be deleted before," exclaimed Taichi. "Even if we don't defeat those two dragons before that happens, it should come back just like before."

"Then how about your own world?" The angel stared as a look of shock crossed the boys face. "Unlike that time, our worlds are closer in sync than ever before. What do you think would happen if those two dragons made it to your world?

Taichi git his teeth in remembrance. The sight of Odaiba after Myotismon's attack three years ago was still clear in his memories. Most of the town had been destroyed by what as considered a weak Mega level digimon. The dragons that were being spoken about, sounded like they were on a level that was closer to Apocalymon in therms of power. Taichi could only subconsciously grip his digivice harder while mulling over the information.

"Don't let up in your attack MetalGreymon," Taichi commanded. "We need to weaken him more. Even if it's only just a little bit." Taichi had a lot to think over, but right now he wouldn't hesitate to help a friend.

MetalGreymon only had one long range attack. He used his mid ranged, Trident Arm, to bring SlashAngemon in closer. The cyborg dinosaur could hardly keep up with his much quicker opponent. His only saving grace was the fact that he wasn't being attacked. This allowed him to send out even more attacks than normal and he somehow managed to move the angel away from the river.

SlashAngemon was now almost beneath the giant cyborg reptile, clearly within range of any of his attacks. The silver angel watched as the larger monster once again opened his chest silos. The sudden burst of the missiles startled him enough to send out an attack.

MetalGreymon saw his opponent cross his bladed arms and yell out his attack of, Holy Espada. One of the angel's arms fell before finishing but one bladed beam still cut through one of his missiles. It was a simultaneous exchange of diminished attacks as each hit landed on target.

The missiles explosion caused a thick smoke to appear. Taichi wondered what happened and was answered by Agumon fly backwards out of the black cloud. He ran up to his partner to make sure that he was alright. After getting a confirming nod, he set his focus back to the smoke in front of them. The two of them could only groan at the sight of the bladed angel still standing withing the clearing smoke.

SlashAngemon took haggard breaths as he watched the chosen of courage hold onto his partner. He couldn't blame him for protecting his friends. It was what he expected from all of the chosen children he had heard about. Even the ones who hadn't been to the digital world seemed like wonderful people. They all possessed the good qualities that could help a digimon digivolve correctly. The chosen of hope seemed like the only one to willingly go against the grain.

The angel set his sight back to the river. The boy had been under for quite some time. Him and his partner couldn't have gotten swept away, could they? No, they were still there, he could still feel an angelic presence. He rose his blades once more for another Holy Espada. This time he could go at his own pace. He steadied himself and fired off a perfectly crossed blade beam. It cut through the water cleanly and revealed it's bottom. The only problem was that it was empty.

"Could you be looking for me, SlashAngemon?" came a calm voice from behind the angel digimon. He turned around to find the back of the blond boy he had been looking for. He was holding on to his digimon partner that had dedigivolved back to Patamon. He watched as the boy placed his partner in the care of the twin Tailmon. What had happened under that river to have caused that change? He got a solid guess from the boy's eyes when he decided to turn around.

"You were always so serious about your work," Takeru lightly smiled. He turned around to reveal a gash he had gotten on his head. Two lines of blood ran down over his left eye. They combined into one single line after passing under the bottom eyelid. "I always did like that part about you."

His eyes held a familiar red tint, yet that was all. Only his iris had changed and nothing else, at least nothing else on his body. His cloak that would normally hold a beige color, was fading between two different ones at the moment. They were simply white and black, but the change was off putting. Each previous color had been bold and solidly stood out. These two highly contrasting colors seemed to almost be mixing together.

SlashAngemon was the most disturbed by the boy's appearance. It reminded him of someone he had thought he would never see again. Someone he at least hopped he would never see again. A smile that hid something deeper within it. Eyes that looked like they could see through to your very being. An air that couldn't be read permeated off of the boy's form. The boy that had fallen into the river wasn't the same as the one that was standing in front of him now, not entirely.

The angel digimon remembered something that Zhuqiaomon had once spoken about. It was after the boy had defeated and gotten Dagomon's power. The holy beast made an observation about how the blond physically displayed his powers. At the start, his iris would glow red, the pupils would slit, and recently his teeth would also change. Later, his cloak, sclera and pupils would also display the color of the digicore that he was currently using.

What caught the fire bird's eye was that his eyes would still slit when using Dagomon's powers. That was a trait that was shared by the Harmonious Ones that Dagomon didn't physically possess. He assessed that the chosen of hope naturally used the dragon of destruction's powers as a base to maintain any others that he acquired. This was also supported by the time his pupils slit and shown with a golden light when he first started using his powers at the Holy Stone.

If that was the case then that would also explain the red iris, but that didn't sit right with the silver angel. He never felt that the red in the boy's eyes connected to the holy beasts. They always felt to familiar, and off putting. Right now, the blond was giving off a presence that was more humanoid than bestial. The red lines that ran down his face only made things more clear to the silver angel. This boy's eyes truly showed who's power he was using.

SlashAngemon no longer questioned his orders. They didn't even have time to cross his mind as he folded up his metal wings and rolled his body into a horizontal spinning blade. He spun faster and faster, as his feelings of the past kept bubbling up to the top of his mind. He cut through the ground as shot straight for the blond boy before him.

Takeru smiled as his opponent spun straight at him. He folded both of his hand together as if he was saying a prayer. He spread his palms outward while keeping the tips of his index fingers and thumbs connected. He gave the fingers more space and made a triangle between his hands. Within that space shown a golden light. As soon as Takeru was about to get hit, he spread his hands apart and across his body. A large, triangular, golden shield stopped SlashAngemon in his tracks and repealed him violently backwards.

The metal angel managed to stop himself with his good arm but noticed that it also had something wrong with it. His bladed arms had been cracked. He noticed that his entire body was covered in cracks as well. It was a familiar feeling that he could never forget. A past regret ran through his body. He looked up to find the blond smiling behind his golden shield.

"I'm surprised that worked," Takeru sighed in relief. "It's really hard to balance both light and darkness at the same time, you know. Patamon and the twins can do it just fine if they work together though. Tailmon gives the light, BlackTailmon gives out the darkness, and Patamon balances it out. Doing all three on your own is tough, but I wouldn't have beaten you without it. Good thing MagnaAngemon told me to go for it."

So that's what had happened. MagnaAngemon chose to dedigivolve so the boy could focus solely on that one technique. He couldn't focus on both maintaining his partner's form and doing that technique. SlashAngemon had only ever seen one other digimon use both light and darkness at the same time. It was an attack from when a dragon was masquerading as an angel. This boy however, used it as a shield. The boy truly did have the ability to awaken both dragons and his red eyes proved it. They didn't hold the same color as the dragon of destruction's. They held the same color as the soul of the dark dragon.

However, if that was the case, then what was this boy fighting for? Those two dragons hated each other, so it was baffling to find both of their powers in use in the same body. No to mention that it normally happened at the same time. Zhuqiaomon was still worried that the boy's will would lose out to the dragon of destruction but if the dark dragon also held a strong presence…

SlashAngemon could only conclude that the fiery Harmonious One was worried that the holy beasts defeat would unleash both dragons. If both dragons had equal space in the boy's body, they would never win control of it. It would be a never ending internal struggle for control. The boy's mind would break before a winner could take control. Why live with that kind of danger? Was the boy truly moving with his own will; even in the state that he was now? The more the angel thought about the boy, the more he couldn't seem to understand. He fell face first to the ground beneath him confused.

"I… lost…" the silver angel spoke to the ground beneath him.

"Now, now, I'm pretty good, you know," Takeru boasted. "And that last attack was really something else." Takeru walked over to the fallen angel. "If you could have fought like that from the start, I wouldn't have been able to beat you."

"Liar… If you could have fought like that from the start, then I still wouldn't have stood a chance."

A soft look made it's way to Takeru's eyes. "I guess you're right," he agreed. Takeru made one more triangle and lowered it over SlashAngemon. As the light touched the angel's body it slowly started to fade away.

"What… no, who are you?" Asked the fading angel.

Takeru's eyes returned to their natural blue color, "I'm Takeru Takaishi, aren't I." Takeru grinned at the angel.

SlashAngemon couldn't help but give a tired laugh, "I guess you are. I apologize for confusing you with someone else."

"Until we meet again, SlashAngemon," the silver angel had completely disappeared. His cloak had once again regained it's beige color.

"Takeru!" Taichi called out, while holding Patamon. he ran up to the blond along with all the others. "You really did it, huh? You're like a one man army."

"I couldn't have gotten this far with out a lot of help."

"True, you do have like a handful of different digimon powers at your disposal."

"I meant you too, Taichi."

"Oh," the brunette leader lightly blushed. "Well anyway, it seems like we weren't the only ones to do a good job. Everyone else has also finished up. Daisuke and Ken are on their way to meet up and then we'll be back home in no time."

"I see." Takeru got very quiet from almost a full minute. The blond looked over to the twins, "I need you two to do me a favor." His seriousness caught their attention. "I need you guys to-"

"You need us to go to the dark world, right?" stated Tailmon. "You're going to own us one for this. You know that, right?"

"Thank you," Takeru thanked in advance.

"Come on sis, we got to go and find a lost digimon."

"I hope he's alright," BlackTailmon wondered out loud. "Well, he is really tough."

Takeru made a gate to the dark world and the three wished each other well. After the gate closed The blond found a bench that was facing the river. He sat down with Patamon resting in his lap. Taichi and Agumon took a seat right next to him.

"Crazy day, huh?" Taichi relaxed. "Even for us."

"I don't know. As you said, we did see a whole world be deleted and floated in the void."

"You heard that?"

"A bit. I was mostly communing with an inner being."

"What's it like, being powered by all of those digicores?"

Takeru pondered this question for a while. "Well, it's kind of hard to keep my own feelings in check. They all have such big egos that it spills into my own emotions."

"So that's why you make those weird faces. Is it also why you act a bit differently when you fight?"

"Well what can I say, Baihumon loves a good brawl," Takeru chuckled. "It's also not just when I'm fighting. Even right now, I can feel them all inside of me. It's kind of like the bond I share with Patamon, but a lot more overbearing."

"So tell me about it." Taichi heard Takeru give him a questioning hum. "Tell me about every little thing that's happening with you. What you've done and everything you're going to do. That's one of the reasons I'm here, isn't it?"

Takeru gave an amused snort, "You know I can't do that. If you knew everything, then you would try to stop me without a doubt"

"I don't think I would be able to. Even if you didn't have those weird powers."

"True, but my answer is still no."

"Well, it's fine if you don't. I'll just tell Yamato about that time you wanted to be _my_ little brother." Taichi could hear the blond grit his teeth.

"You know that if I tell you, you'll have to keep it a secret. Because if I tell you anyone, _I'll_ tell Yamato about that time I wanted to be your little brother. We both swore to never speak of that moment for _both_ of our sakes."

Taichi couldn't help but laugh at the offer, "deal."

"Then contact Daisuke and Ken, and tell them to take the long way around to get us."

"Eh, Isn't that a bit much?"

"Trust me, we're going to need all the time we can get. This is going to be a long explanation."

Taichi sent the message to Daisuke and got into a bit of an argument about it. He wasn't getting anywhere with the younger goggled boy, so he opted to write to Ken. The other boy was a lot more willing to listen and it helped that Yamato was with him.

"That's settled," Taichi snapped his D-terminal shut. He heard the boy next to him give out a loud yawn. As he watched the younger boy stretch out his body he too got the urge to do the same. It was so contagious that even the digimon wanted to get out their own kinks.

Takeru as about to start until his grandfather ran up to them. The older man looked over his grandson and urged him to clean up the cut on his head. He told his grandfather not to worry about it but Taichi pushed him into compliance. His grandfather said that he would lead them to a coffee shop near by to clean him up and to get them all a round of hot chocolate. The promise of extra marshmallows quickly made the night warmer for the blond boy. He could now gladly save Demon Lord hunting for tomorrow.

 **AN: This was tough to write. I had to delve into things that I never planed on explaining. I'm honestly surprising myself with half of the stuff I'm coming up with. The stuff with Baihumon, the story of the two dragons; things that happened only because I started writing this story out. It's stuff like that make writing fun, so I'm wont complain too much. I'm just lucky that I have time to iron these ideas out, unlike people who have to come up with stories once a week, like a manga author. I sometimes wonder to what degree monthly authors, or people with even more time deal with this problem.**

 **Here's a fun tip if you want to seem like you're really good at writing really fast. Just glance through your past chapters to see if you can use anything you've mentioned there to better tie your story together. Sometimes you can make a whole arc out of some little thing you've done in a past chapter. That's what keeps most manga alive and kicking. Heck, I even learned that tip from a manga itself. It's how I actually gave a purpose to the changing of Takeru's eyes, other than to just be cool.**

 **Writing woes aside, I'm once again glade that I was able to deal with another character this chapter. Taichi is one of my favorite leaders and I really like how reliable he can be in 02. I liked bringing out the rash yet caring side of his character.**

 **This chapter could also be seen as how the bonds Takeru have affect him. This gave to time set up some kind of bond between him and Tailmon. Another fun character to write. She's extremely straight forward and fallows her own pace.**

 **The chapter also let me explore his connection with the dragons that I keep talking about as well. Have you all guess at who they are yet. Sometimes I use my own digimon knowledge as a base for hiding things, so even when I think I've made things obvious, I haven't. It's not that I'm, not trying to hide who the dragons are, I just know I'm purposelessly being shallow about it. I'm very much a, 'it's about the journey, than the destination' kind of guy. That being said, I would never try to set up the destination as something grand. I will however, try turn the people traveling, into something larger than life.**

 **I don't know what it is but I've always preferred characters over plot. Now, to have a good story you need both, but I think a good character can make an average plot seem like a good one. I mean, look at digimon. It's story telling really isn't that great but it's characters are strong enough to get people past that.**

 **Well, I some how forced that Author's Note out. I hoped you've enjoyed this chapter and will leave a comment. Next time will be Demon Lord hunting, adventures.**


	7. Fallen Angel

**Chapter 7:  
Fallen Angel**

Two siblings were having a conversation in a dark room. It was already late and it was about time for both of them to get to bed. The only thing keeping them up were their thoughts about the next day. So many things had happened in the just the span of one day. They both had traveled to other counties to send back digital monsters. The eldest brother had even witnessed one of his friends get in a fight with one. It didn't help that he was told their situation would only be getting worse.

Even then, the boy wasn't given the full explanation. It only gave him more to worry about. Spider women and mummies were enough of a headache for him, now he needed to add demons and dragons onto the list as well. It didn't help that he has sworn not to tell others his friend's secret. It would needlessly worry them. There was almost nothing worse than a problem that you couldn't handle yourself. The wost part was that even if the others knew, there was still nothing that could be done. He was only spurred out of his thoughts when his sister had called out to him.

"Is that the whole story?" Hikari asked.

"Yeah, pretty much," Taichi answered. "Can you believe it? Angels fighting off dragons; it almost sound religious." The brunette lent back on his sisters propped bed.

"I can believe it," Hikari looked down to her desk. When it came to the digital world, anything could happen. "I can't believe something even more awful was sealed in that dark world. To think that the imbalance in the digital world could release it."

"…Yeah," Taichi muttered. The boy had only been given permission from Takeru to tell the others about two things. The story of the two dragons, and by extension and urgency, the Demon Lord. Both of them had to be vague, so not to expose his personal connection to both. He had also left out the point of the Harmonious One's being connected to the seal and the fight with SlashAngemon. He would have to figure out a way to talk to the Harmonious by himself. He thought of somehow getting in touch with Gennai tomorrow.

He didn't know how much the digital man could help when even Takeru had been surprised to hear about the seal. It was only after he had taken the digicore of Xuanwumon did the other holy beasts notice the weakening of the seal. It would still be strong enough that if they all were to perish, the dragons would stay locked away. They never thought that the Demon Lord would be able to slip through the cracks.

"It's not Takeru's fault that the seal was weakened, was it?" Hikari asked.

"Nope!" Taichi answered a bit to quickly.

"I know he's connected to the Harmonious Ones now, but he doesn't have to shoulder all that responsibility by himself."

Taichi thought back to the mysterious blond boy. He knew that the boy was hiding something. He had gotten a lot out of him, but not what he was planing to do after defeating all of the Harmonious Ones.

Takeru had only told him that he would change the world himself if others wouldn't. It felt more ominous than trustworthy, but he would buy it for now. He couldn't imagine a boy who was afraid to go back home to his mother's anger and worry as much of a threat. If Takeru hadn't been tired from fighting all day, Yamato might not have been able to drag him back home.

"Brother, what are we going to do?" Hikari took her brother out of his own mind again.

"Well, I know that I'm going to go to bed," Agumon yawned.

"You got the right idea buddy," Taichi chuckled. "We'll rest up, and then hit the streets to find Arukenimon and Mummymon." His tone became more serious. "Besides, I'm more worried about the new kids than what Takeru is doing." The room filled with silence. "Even if they're willing to fight, they've only destroyed evil rings and spirals."

"They've destroyed some dark tower digimon." Hikari somberly added.

"But it was only after they had found that out," Tailmon spoke up. "They'll have to be ready to defeat real digimon, for good. I know their digimon can do it just fine, it's in their nature." The digital feline thought for only a moment, "I honestly don't think the new kids can handle it. If push comes to shove, their digimon will have to be the one's to make the call in the end."

"After hearing about what Takeru has told us, the time for destroying digimon has already passed everyone else by. You all need to be prepared for it." Taichi explained. "You also need to be ready if…" he couldn't seem to get the words out. "Just be prepared for anything, no matter how hard it may seem."

Hikari was willing, but she didn't feel prepared at all. She was willing to destroy her enemies but that meant that their own digimon were in more danger than before. They've had a few fights where, everyone was in danger but their opponents had hardly ever tried to kill them. She could only remember the number of their digimon friends that were lost fighting three years ago.

Tailmon caught the dampened expression on her partner's face. "We can't make that kind of face, Hikari," the white feline advised. "If we hesitate, we'll lose. Not just us, but the others as well."

"I know," the girl sighed. She wanted to keep her feelings to herself, but she took the chance to talk things out. "I just have a bad feeling about all of this. Like, I won't be able to do anything to help anyone."

"What do you mean?'' Agumon asked. "You've been a big help, ever since you've first joined the team."

"Yeah, where is this coming from all of a sudden?" Taichi arced an eyebrow.

"It's always been like this," Hikari poured her heart out to everyone in the room. "I'm able to help out more, but in the end I can't manage to do anything significant. Not like… you. I must be constantly letting you down."

"What!? What would make you think that!?" Taichi was caught off guard. He had seen Hikari depressed before, but it was always subdued. He had never expected this kind of outburst from her.

"I know that I just have to be. I've been doing things so poorly, ever since this second adventure started. We took way to long to defeat Ken when he was the Digimon Kaiser. We constantly hesitated when it came to fighting Arukenimon and Mummymon, even though I should have known better. All of that lead to BlackWarGreymon being created and that caused as mess with the Holy Stones. Now the digital world is almost as ruined as when the Dark Masters made spiral mountain."

Taichi absorbed his sister's rant. He had no idea that she was feeling this way. The pressure must have gotten to her ages ago. He hadn't been there in a while, but was the digital world really doing that bad? Hikari was always the one who was closest to it. He had thought that she was doing better after talking with Miyako but it seems like his sister has reached her limit.

"I know you think that somethings have been out of your control, but it's always been like that," Taichi started. "You've been doing your best, and what you thought was the right thing. I would never be disappointed in that."

The older sibling didn't think he would be having another talk like this twice in one day. The only difference is that his sister was handling the situation much differently than their blond friend. What made these two think that what they've been doing was wrong? Takeru couldn't believe in his actions while Hikari seemed to not believe in herself.

"But I am," Hikari had finally turned around to look her brother in the eyes. "If you were in my shoes, I'm sure things wouldn't be this bad right now." She couldn't hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.

Taichi was taken aback. Would he really have done a better job than his sister? He couldn't really picture it. He did wonder about how different things would be if all of the older kids were able to somehow digivolve their own digimon. What if they had gotten the armors, and were able to go back. Would things have really changed?

Unlike their first adventure, the two world's times were synced. It wasn't even summer, so they would have had to miss school and their other responsibilities. Even so, Taichi thought that all of them would have gone and stayed in the digital world until it was safe. That was at least how he felt about it. But now wasn't the time for, what ifs.

"Hikari, we can't be wishing for things that we can't have," Taichi firmly spoke. He walked up to his sister and wiped her tears away. "I really don't know if me being in the group would have been better or not, but I'm able to fight now, and that's all that matters to me. What matters to you?"

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt," the girl whispered.

Tailmon realized what was bothering your partner, "everyone will be just fine. You'll keep watching over everyone just like you have been doing."

"Yeah… watching…"

"You don't wanna be fighting digimon yourself like Takeru, do you?" Agumon chimed in.

Hikari stiffened, at the thought of fighting herself. She had no idea how Takeru found the courage to do that. "…No, but I want to do more than I have been."

"Then you have to make sure that you keep protecting everyone," Taichi explained. "Fighting is different for everyone. During our first adventure, I thought that if I explored the digital world, everything would sort itself out. Yamato focused more on protecting everyone else. In the end we both realized that we had to do both if we wanted to actually get anywhere. We need to stay together _and_ to keep moving forward."

Taichi looked his sister over. She was hanging on to his every word. "I'm not as great as you think I am. I've only gotten as far as I have with the help of everyone else, including you. You worry about people easily and that's your strength. Just focus on that and you'll find out how you fit into the team and what you can do for them. Just remember why you're fighting and you'll find the strength to keep on fighting."

The boy then went to help his partner get down from his sister's bed. "We'll leave that Demon Lord to Takeru. You just worry about helping everyone find Arukenimon and Mummymon." As he made his way to the door he rested his hand on his sister's head. "You're not the only one worrying about it, so I'm glad you could tell me about your troubles. Try to sleep well, Hikari." Taichi pulled the door shut on his way out.

Hikari turned back to he desks as her brother closed the door. Tailmon landing in front of her and rubbed against her arm. "I can't _just_ keep worrying about every little thing like I've been doing," she thought aloud. "I know that, but I can't seem to help it."

"Could this bad feeling be because of the imbalance between the worlds?" the feline asked.

"Maybe…" She knew better than anyone else about how the darkness affected her. "How did I overcome the darkness before?"

"It was because of everyone else. You've always been at your strongest when you were standing up for someone else."

Hikari felt that something other than the darkness has spurred on these negative feelings. This strong lack of self confidence had always popped up from time to time, but it seemed to hit harder than ever before. Normally, words from others would be enough to blow them away, but now the feelings felt just as close as those words. She could only rest her head in her arms on the desk. It felt like there was an invisible weight on he shoulders.

How could Takeru stay in the darkness? He had changed a bit since then, but his core was still the same. When he was fighting earlier that day, his smile almost never left his face. The only time it did, it managed to come back brighter than ever. If Takeru could fight while smiling like that, then what really was darkness anyway? Taichi had told her about how he shared the emotions of the digicores inside of him, but that smile seemed more genuine than just that.

Who was the blond boy fighting for? He had talked about making a promise to someone, yet it seemed like he was fighting only for himself.

Could she manage to do something like that? For the longest time she had always compared herself to him. They had been the same age after all. It had been a different relationship than the one with her brother, who she had always looked up to.

Truly thinking about it, she could never be like him. She could only do the things she was able to do herself. She would focus on protecting and supporting her friends in her own way. If she was going to support everyone else, she would have to try extra hard if she wanted to support Takeru as well. He had distanced himself from her in many ways.

She may not be able to walk in the darkness like he could, but she could shine a bright light. She didn't want to be left behind, not just by him, but by everyone else as well.

Hikari got up and changed into her pajamas. She pulled out her ladder and got into her bed. Tailmon was already at her pillow trying to get comfortable, as she put the ladder back in place. As she pulled her covers over herself, she swore to herself that she would try harder tomorrow. She would quickly help find Arukenimon and Mummymon so that everyone could help Takeru deal with the Demon Lord. She quickly went to sleep after confirming her resolution.

* * *

The next day brought surprises that Hikari couldn't have anticipated. It seems that the world wanted to change the order of her plans. The Demon Lord's henchman had decided to attack the city.

Everyone had ran off in different directions to find that none of their enemies had actually wanted to fight. All except for an abnormally strong skeletal digimon. It was only an Ultimate, but it took out all of their partners and managed to freeze Imperialdramon in place. With the help of everyone giving away the power of Qinglongmon's digicore to Imperialdramon, he was able to change into a stronger from and defeat their foe.

It was the first time that the new kids had destroyed a real digimon and they seemed a bit shook up about it. Hikari could only give a gloomy look in their direction. Even she wasn't thrilled that they had reached this point again.

Everything seemed to have died down, but their main threat was still out there. They may have fought back and even destroyed one of the three Ultimate digimon, but their leader hadn't revealed himself yet. It also didn't help that Takeru hadn't shown up or answered his D-terminal either.

Hikari still had that bad feeling from last night. Even if Imperialdramon had gained a stronger from, they were down five other Ultimate digimon. She didn't know how they could fight against a Mega that Takeru had described as, strong as a Harmonious One.

The short haired girl was shocked out of her thoughts by a loud crash that came from the other side of the street. Something had crashed into a building. She couldn't make it out until it pulled itself out of the ruble. It was MagnaAngemon. She watched as he slowly got to his feet.

He was tattered and beaten horribly. It looked as if he had tried to fly too close to the sun. His wings were a little singed. Blotches of red could be made out on his white clothing. He looked as if he had been fighting for hours.

Before anyone could move to help, something else fell from the sky and crashed into the building on the opposite side of the street. It looked as if a shooting star had crashed through one of the windows. Whatever it was, some of it was still on fire. The flames started to flicker more as what seemed like a person in a hood, started to move. It looked as if their lower body had caught aflame. As the hooded figure grabbed the window's frame, the flames started to subside.

All of the chosen could guess at who was in the window. When their hood fell from their head, they all were greeted to their blond friend. If you exclude the fact that his lower body was previously aflame, his upper half looked better off than his partner. He was still bruised, but he hadn't drawn any blood yet.

The same couldn't be said for his shoes. They had turned pure black. They watched as he carefully made his way through the glass. He forced his shoes and socks off with his just his feet and the darkness ran up past his ankles. Looking further up they saw that his legs were burned worst than the rest of his body. The boy just looked thankful that his shorts hadn't burned away.

Once again, before anyone can gather their thoughts, a dark portal appeared in the street. What came from it could only be described as a demon. A figure cloaked in red, with large horns protruding from his hood. He had an inverted star with an eye in it's center on his hood as well. His cloak was littered in even more odd symbols. Large demonic wings rested on his backside.

Taichi was the only other one other than Takeru to know about the digimon that had made his appearance. He hadn't described their other foe to the others because they needed to focus on the their own job. That, and if he did appear before them, it would be obvious that the digimon wasn't anything but evil.

"Demon Lord Daemon, right?" Taichi glared.

"It seems I'm more popular than I thought," the Demon Lord sneered behind his hood. "And here I thought my name was lost to time."

"What do you want?"

"I came here to personally congratulate you on killing one of my men. I should also thank you for playing with my other underlings. But what I'm really here for is, Ken Ichijouji."

"What exactly do you want with Ken?" Daisuke yelled at the demon.

"He has something in his body that I need. It would give me a… power up, as they say."

Ken reflexively touched the back of his neck. He had recently remembered that something from the digital world had flown into his body once. That had to be what he was after.

"To be honest, I don't care for this world at all. If you come with me willingly, I promise that there will be no more casualties.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who hasn't managed to kill anyone yet," Takeru barked from the window. It looked as if he had gotten his second wind.

"Ah, allow me to rephrase myself," he pointed two of his fingers at the cloaked blond with his palm up. He curled to fingers slightly up and a tower of fire erupted from beneath Takeru. The flames rose well over the highrise's roof tops. MagnaAngemon saw this as a time to make his attack. He rushed the demon digimon only to be caught by his neck. "Come with me…"

MagnaAngemon struggled in Daemon's tight grip. He extended his Excalibur to slash at his hand only for the demon to start to throw him to the side. He had only caught a glimpse of Takeru shifting in before colliding with him. The two crashed into each other only to be further forced downward. Their impact cracked the asphalt beneath them. "…and there will only be _two_ casualties."

Daemon laughed as the two struggled beneath him, "I've been watching you fight this whole time boy. You've already showed me everything you've got. I should really thank SlashAngemon sometime." The Demon Lord picked up MagnaAngemon by lightly piercing his claws into his back. "You also have something of mine." Fire erupted from his palm and shot the angel in to the air, sailing behind the other chosen children.

The demon then picked up the boy by the scruff of his cloak's collar. "I should thank you for keeping my data nice and warm for me." He was speaking of the digicore that Takeru had absorbed from IceDevimon. It had originally belonged to him in the first place. It was only right to take it back.

It was at that moment that everyone's blood ran cold. Daemon had stabbed straight through Takeru's mid section. All of the chosen children had lost their breath. No one could say anything even if they had wanted to. There were only different expressions of shock to be shared between the group.

The only one who could get past their shock and noticed that something was off, was Koushiro. "It can't be," he yell in shock. Within Daemon's grasp was a purple core of energy.

"But it is. It's the digital core that this boy had been carrying around since he's defeated IceDevimon," Daemon explained. The purple, digital core started to be absorbed into the Demon Lord's hand. "I'll be taking back what's mine, if you don't mind." Daemon was surprised that getting his core back was this easy. To think, attacks directed at digital cores could also work on humans.

He was also surprised that the boy had absorbed the digicore into himself instead of the cloak, as he had guessed. It seems that the cloak was just a holding point until the data went to his body. Was that the reason why he could bring out their powers so easily? From what he had seen, the boy couldn't use one hundred percent of the power he had gotten but most digimon wouldn't have either. In fact most digimon wouldn't be able to use their stolen digicore's attacks either.

The fact that the boy's human body seemed to not be able to completely keep up with the his power, didn't surprise the demon. What had shocked him was that despite all of that, the boy could keep holding more cores. It made him wonder if the boy was sacrificing their power for their techniques.

Normally digimon would wear the data of others and digivolve along with it, instead of directly absorbing it into themselves. Sure, they could give each other power boots with left over energy and data, but to absorb a full digicore was something else. It was more than just bits of deleted data. You had to be careful or else you could digivolve into something you hadn't expected, or simply just have your mind be stolen from you.

However that didn't matter, there was no point in wondering about that now. That was at least until the demon felt something grip his arm. He refocused his eyesight so that he was staring at the boy who had recently found the power to fight back. It was a shame, but an attack on digital matter wouldn't be enough to kill a human. The boy seemed to be in an extraordinary amount of pain, but there didn't look to be any physical damage done. He had only separated him from the data of the core.

Takeru gripped tightly with both hands at the demons forearm. He felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest, but he couldn't let Daemon completely take the digicore. He focused on the energy behind him and with a grunt, the purple orb was absorbed back into him. He had gotten the digicore back, but he was far from finished with Daemon.

Once again, the boy had astounded the demon. To think, he would be able to take the core back, while he was still absorbing it. He caught a glimpse of the boy's eyes. The pupils had slit and shined in a golden color within a red iris. The next thing he knew, he was suddenly struck by lighting. He couldn't help but fling the boy to his friends.

Yamato watched as Takeru landed with a hard thud in front of everyone else. He rushed to his bother's side. He struggled to keep a straight face after seeing his brother get stabbed through and tossed around. He lifted up his brother's head to find that he was heaving and covered in a cold sweat. He helped Takeru up to his feet but his bother was obviously still shaken. Takeru however wasn't shaken enough to not whisper to him and hand him something.

"What a nostalgic attack," Daemon spoke, regaining his bearings. "But you don't seem to have the right form for it." he stared behind the chosen children.

The children turned around to find a golden MagnaAngemon. He glowed in the same way as when Takeru had fought at the Holy Stone. Two transparent, golden wings found their way to his back once again.

"You look ready for another round, but there is no longer a need for me to focus on you right now. I've gotten back my data from within that digicore and you're no longer needed. I will however, deliver you two a painful death later." Daemon faced Ken, "Now, it's time for you to come with me and give me the dark spore. _Then_ I'll kill your friends afterwords."

Before Takeru could retort, a truck carrying a trailer sped between the Demon Lord and the children. Arukenimon was holding on the back doors and jumped of after it had stopped. "Sorry to butt in, but I'll be having the Ichijouji boy come with me," she asserted herself.

"And you are?"

"No one as important as you, Lord Daemon" the spider woman faked respect. "I do however, have my orders, and they need to be completed."

"What do you want with me?" Ken asked. "You said I was worthless to you now."

"We've had a change of plans," Arukenimon explained while getting the trailer opened. "Now, if you don't want anything to happen to these children," she displayed the truck's contents, "you'll come with us."

"You're the kidnappers!?"

"Don't say it like that. They fallowed me all by themselves."

Ken could only grit his teeth. He had planed to give himself to Daemon after he had threw Takeru, but now… He had to help those children who had nothing to do with the digital world. "Okay…" he breathed, as he started moving for the truck. Daisuke and Wormmon told him not to go but he marched on. He only stopped when two other voices yelled at him at well.

"Are you stupid!?" Takeru and Daemon yell together.

"There's noting to gain from going with them!" The boy had no idea of what that woman was planing, but he couldn't let Ken go along with it. He couldn't trust that she wouldn't hurt those kids after getting what she wanted, even if it wasn't directly.

"That's right, child. If they had just wanted a hostage, then taking more than one would be counter intuitive. They obviously have more plans than just taking you away." Daemon made an unbelievable amount of sense. Leave it to a Demon Lord to be able to see through evil.

Takeru moved away from his bother and faced the truck. "The fastest way of dealing with this, is killing those two kidnappers as fast as possible," he rushed at the spider woman.

"Exactly," the Daemon had came along Takeru's side. "Destroy both negotiator and hostage in one strike."

"NOT!" Takeru jerked to his side and stuck the demon across his face. He changed his focus back to the Demon Lord. He fended him off from destroying the truck. "That's not what I meant, at all! MagnaAngemon, take care of those clowns for good."

The now ten winged angel flew in ready to attack, but Arukenimon had already grabbed a child to shield herself with. She had grabbed it in the first rush but it seemed to still be useful. The angel couldn't make a move.

Both Takeru and Daemon saw what had happened and separated from each other. "Cowered," Takeru muttered.

"I can respect that," Daemon added his piece.

"I'm glad," Arukenimon smiled. "Now, as I've said before, if you don't want the children to get hurt, come with me."

"If you don't plan on killing any of them, could you just stop," Takeru spoke up. "Because you felt like barging in on our fight, I'm now forced to protect you. You don't wanna die, do you? That guy is willing to kill you and anything in that truck just to get to Ken. You better not do anything to distract me from defeating him. If you can understand that, then shut up and stay put."

Arukenimon was put on the spot. If Ken decided to go with them, that Demon Lord and blond would hunt them down within seconds. They wouldn't be able to lose those two even if they were fighting each other the whole way. The chances of getting caught in the cross fire was extremely high. The best plan would be to let them tire themselves out before picking up the Ichijouji boy.

"Fine, but if I get one scratch, I'll pay you back one hundred fold.

Takeru tugged at his collar, "As if you could. MagnaAngemon, make sure she doesn't do anything stupid." If she had a child that close to her, it would be hard to take her out without hurting, or let alone killing them. He'd find a way to deal with her later.

Yamato couldn't believe that his brother had changed so much since he had last seen him. When he had dragged him back to their mother's last night, he seemed to be the same emotional kid that he had always known. Their mother looked at him with a stern face at first but it melted into relief within seconds. They were hugging in no time at all and eating dinner shortly afterward. Takeru had a smile on his face the whole time as he tiptoed around what he had been up to for the past week.

The boy he was watching now was extremely serious while fighting, but carried a bit of lightness. He had been beaten pretty badly but he didn't seem to lose his heart. That was to be expected, but the way he expressed it was different. How much had his brother truly grown in these pass three years? In the past months, in the past week? He gripped the item that Takeru had given him tighter in his pocket.

Hikari watched as Takeru's back moved up and down. She felt that he was reaching his limits. "Miyako, we need to help as well," she turned to her friend. "Let's DNA digivolve and fight as well."

Miyako was hesitant in looking to her DNA partner. She knew that if she fought right now, she would have to destroy her opponent. She couldn't do that. "I'm… sorry…"

Hikari could believe the words coming from her friend, but couldn't at the same time. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want to force anything onto the girl. She wanted to help but she couldn't send Tailmon out by herself.

"Don't worry about trying to help me or anything," Takeru spoke up. "If you tried, he would just call for help. His little helpers are around somewhere. You should just focus on Arukenimon in case something stupid happens."

"Don't be so selfish Takeru," Sora rebuked. "You're already hurt pretty badly, aren't you? She knew how brave the boy could be but this was too much of just him to handle. Even with MagnaAngemon, she still thought it would be an uphill battle so fight alone seemed even more foolish.

"Sora… Right now I'm the only one who can protect everyone with out things getting even more out of hand." Takeru looked back at the red head, "do you understand?" He couldn't keep the smirk off of his faced, "don't worry about me."

Sora was silenced by the boy's words. They had been the same words she had given him when running from Piemon. At that time she didn't think of the boy actually saving them. She had just wanted him and Hikari to get away safely. Yet, that little boy managed digivolve Angemon to rescue everyone. She would just have to put faith in the boy to be able to save himself, now.

"Are you done talking, child?" Daemon asked. "I would like to hurry things along."

"Right," Takeru around to crouch into a sprinter's stance. His cloak turned a deep gray. The space around him started to distort. The feeling slowly spread to the entire intersection around him. Everyone could fill a chill run through the air. The gate to the dark ocean had been cracked open.

"Fighting me with darkness? With those burnt legs no less."

"I'm just making things easier on myself," Takeru explained as the whites of his eyes turned black. His iris still glowed red and his pupils still shined with gold. "If you're only moving with your legs then you can't hope to keep up with me."

"Big talk from someone who can't fly. It's such a waste that the power of those dragons reside in a human body. I have noting against you personally, but you don't seem to have the correct constitution to bring out all of their power. It's a shame that you weren't born a digimon."

"You shouldn't under estimate your enemies." With a strong kick to the ground, Takeru shot towards the Demon Lord's front. Just before impact, he shifted out of sight and world. Just as quickly as he had disappeared, his hand pierced through the back of Daemon's cloak. His main target however, was gone. Only his clothes were left behind. Takeru skid across the ground to stop.

Takeru tightly gripped the cloak in his hands and thought to where the demon could have disappeared to. He got his answer as the sky lit up with a bright orange. He looked up to find a true monstrosity.

Daemon's true from was much more beast like than his hidden, monk like form. His fangs protruded out of his mouth almost as much as his horns. Fur covered most of his body. His left arm was an elongated claw. Not only his wings, but even his general size seemed larger. Takeru thought back to IceDevimon and wondered if the Daemon could become just as large.

Other than the monster in the sky, the large flame that he was holding up, also caught everyone's attention. Everyone watched as the flame started to grow smaller, but shine brighter. With a shout of, "Flame Inferno," the demonic beast threw the fireball down to the Earth. It zeroed in on only Takeru's location, ready to burn him to ash.

The chosen had all been amazed at how well Takeru had been able to take care of himself when fighting digimon. Yet, during this fight, all they could do was wonder how he would be able to win. In all of his other fights, he had shown that he could at least be able to keep up with his enemy. However, even if they hadn't seen when the two first met, they've only seen the blond be out matched by the Demon Lord. He had only been able to get off one surprise attack, but now the demon's attention was focused completely on killing the boy.

Arukenimon was surprised at how careless the Demon Lord could be. The fireball he had just sent down would be able to spread to everyone within the intersection. If that happened, it would kill the very boy he was after. Could he still extract a dark spore from a dead body? He couldn't be expecting the boy to take the attack on directly, could he? Even if the boy could, he'd still be risking the spillage of the flames. What was Daemon up to?

Everyone watched as the flame fell closer to the blond. It sped closer but the boy wasn't trying to get out of the way. He looked as if he was steadying himself in place. He looked up into the fireball that descended onto his location. He spread his legs apart and thrust his palms upward. As he made contact with the ball of fire, its color started to fade away. The bright orange flame turned a dull gray as flames flew all over the intersection.

Jou reflexively closed his eyes and brought his arms up as the flames flew towards him. He expected to catch on fire but the gray flame simply passed through him. A shiver ran down his spine that caused him to open his eyes and realize that he wasn't aflame.

Everyone else had done the same and quickly gathered themselves after realizing that they were alright. They all watched the gray flames flickered around them. They gave off an uncharacteristic chill. Even thought they all were dressed for the cold, they couldn't control their shivering.

Only Ken and Hikari could form an idea of what had just happened. Takeru was once again able to remind them of a lingering darkness. Yet this time, it clearly had been to save them. They both couldn't shake their conflicting feelings on the matter. Ever since he brought about the distortion in space, they felt the unease of being closer to the dark ocean. To them, the coldness of the flame was almost as bad as the heat it would normally give.

The Demon Lord looked down with interest. He hadn't thought of the boy phasing attacks to the dark ocean had never crossed his mind. It wasn't a full transfer but it was good enough to neutralize his attack. He wondered if phasing like that was less stressful than shifting is entire body into the dark ocean like he had been doing before. Was he really running out of power, or…?

His mind flashed back to when he had gained his digicore back. There might be something extra to gain from this battle than just the dark spore.

He'd have to use his ability to fly to keep the boy in his place. The boy's arms may now be as burnt as his feet but he was still a minor annoyance. He would use his elevation to his advantage and continue to attack from the air. He wasn't completely safe because the boy could just shift to his location, but he would be better off in the air.

As soon as everyone had managed to calm down, another pillar of flame erupted for where Takeru was standing. Everyone there was looking for where the boy would appear from next. However what caught everyone's attention for a shrieking Ken and Hikari. The girl had clamped onto her brother's arm as if her life depended on it. Ken fell backwards and looked terrified of the ground. Hikari had shut her eyes as Ken looked around in shock. Daisuke quickly ran up and grabbed on to the boy's shoulder.

"What is it?" Taichi grabbed his sister back.

Hikari managed to open her eyes as she tried to stop herself from gasping. "It's the sky… The sky is beneath us."

"What?" Taichi looked down to see nothing but the street. "Only the road is beneath us."

Ken gripped the Earth beneath him with a mystified expression. Looked to the buildings around him to make sure of what he had just realized, "I see." He looked up only to glare at the sky. "I don't believe it. Yagami, look up."

Everyone looked up to find the same sky that had been their the whole day. The only one to understand what Ken had meant was Hikari.

"I don't get it, what are you guys seeing?" Jou questioned.

"The dark ocean…" Hikari breathed.

"But I don't see anything," Iori stated.

They were all suddenly distracted from their friends by a cry of pain. Takeru had managed to gain a direct hit on the Demon Lord. His foot pressed into the demons abdomen but that wasn't what was shocking. The blond boy was kicking the monster upward into the sky. How could he gain that much momentum.

"I didn't know he could fly," wondered Koushiro.

"He's not," Hikari corrected. "He's falling."

Ken fallowed up, "falling into the dark ocean."

Everyone was confused at the two's words. Only Koushiro could wrap his mind around what the two were saying. His eyes widened in realization at what Takeru was doing. "I don't believe it."

"What, Koushiro?" Yamato asked. "You figured out what's going on?"

"I have a guess." He looked up to find Takeru kicking Daemon form a multitude of angles. The monster's sudden disorientation confirmed his thoughts. "Takeru is shifting the orientation of the dark world in relation to our own world.

Everyone gave him a unified, "what?"

"Remember how the digital world appeared in the sky three years ago? We flew up into the sky, but fell into the digital world."

"You mean it's like Myotismon's weird castle," Sora tried to simplify.

"Basically, but this is on a completely different level of playing with gravity. Because Takeru can change the orientation of the dark ocean, he can willingly change the direction of the gravity pulling him." He looked to both Hikari and Ken to find them still fidgeting and lightly gasping at the world around them. He also looked up to find Takeru flying every which of way around Daemon. "He can fall up and down, as well as left or right. Just thinking about how he's fighting is starting to make my head spin."

"It's not just that either," Ken rose to his feet. "Daemon seems be seeing the same thing as Yagami and I. Maybe being sealed there is the reason why. If that's the case, then he has no idea what's going on. Even if he does, it's almost impossible to deal with." He watched as the demon spun around to try and gain his bearings."

"Exactly. It also doesn't help that Takeru is still phasing between both worlds. He can't match Daemon in power so he's out maneuverings him instead."

Daemon was having a hard time dealing with the situation. Within the span of only a few seconds the entire world would shift orientation. Even if his own direction wasn't messed with, the sight alone was enough to hinder him.

The demon was like a planet with a meteors in it's orbit. It was as if falling stars constantly struck the surface one after another. He couldn't keep track on his much smaller opponent. He hadn't gown anywhere near to his full size but he was at a disadvantage like this. It didn't help that the boy kept phasing through him as well. Every time he and the phantom child made contact, the feeling of being in the dark ocean became more real.

He only had one choice, as risky as it would be. He didn't care from where it came but he ignited a pillar of fire onto himself. Before the boy made contact, he became as gray and transparent as his Flame Inferno. The boy went right through the fire unharmed. So that was how he had escaped his pillars of fire, his Chaos Flare.

Not only could the boy phase his attacks between both worlds, but he could also phase himself in and out of them as well. An act of straddling the line between the two. He was neither here nor there. Seeing how he could shift himself and others between the two it should have been a surprise. However, that didn't bother the demon as much as it excited him.

His attack was enough of a distraction for him to break away and head straight for the truck. He just needed enough time for one attack. If he could pull this off correctly, then it would pay off much more than just getting the dark spore.

The demon focused solely on his target. No matter how much the world around him shifted, he wouldn't be become disorientated. Just like the two children on the ground, only his sight had been affected by the boy's trick. Because of his closeness to the dark ocean, his sight had been completely compromised. He couldn't even see the buildings around him. However, there were no effects on seeing anyone still standing in the intersection. He could see his target just fine, even if the world rotated around him.

Takeru kept a sharp eye on Daemon. He couldn't fire off an attack from behind, as the demon was already in front of the truck. He saw MagnaAngemon move to intercept the Demon Lord. He watched as the demon rose a wall of fire between his partner and the truck. What was he planing?

Takeru shifted to the top of the trailer and noticed that it was fine. Why didn't Daemon attack the trailer? He could barely make out sounds from behind the flames. It sounded like someone was yelling. He couldn't have attacked the others, could he? Ken was still with them so that didn't make any sense.

Takeru was given his answer when the flames spread apart. What he witnessed caused his heart to stop for only a moment. Daemon stood in front of him with the tip of his wings stabbing through MagnaAngemon's sides. He watched as the wings exited his partner only for the demon to deliver an upward slash with his left claw. Takeru's eyes watched as his partner's blood sprayed everywhere.

MagnaAngemon's data started to break apart. The only way he could stabilize it was to dedigivolve. Angemon didn't have enough strength to move away, so he was grabbed by the demon once more. His neck was squeezed between the Demon Lord's hands.

Daemon looked Takeru directly in his red eyes. "I did say that there would be at least two, casualties," the demon sneered. "You should have been more diligent, boy." A dark portal appeared beneath his feet.

The ground where Damon stood suddenly exploded. The ground shook along with the explosion. As the dust settled, it was revealed that Takeru was the cause of the damage. He had kicked off of the trailer with enough force to shatter the ground beneath him.

The chosen children watched as their friend desperately tried to find where Daemon had disappeared to. The look of rage in his eyes was something that most of them had never seen. It reminded Iori of the first time he had seen Takeru fight with those powers. The time he had just gotten up, before his final attack on BlackWarGreymon.

Hikari also watched the boy's eyes. They weren't just full of anger, but also fear and sadness. She had heard about what had happened to Angemon during their first adventure. She couldn't imagine what it was like to lose your partner. He was extremely desperate right now and she couldn't blame him.

Yamato seemed like the only one to notice that his brother's last attack did more harm than good. The younger boy's left hand was covered in blood. He remembered that Takeru had said that his body was a lot more sturdier than normal and nothing else. He could still die and hurt himself like a normal person if he tired too hard. Right now, Takeru was fighting like someone who wasn't think at all about themselves. If he kept this up, his body would break along with his already cracking heart.

Daemon appeared once again at a corner of the intersection. He walked out of a dark portal that manifested on the side of a building. "Don't think your the only one who-" Takeru's right fist quickly came into contact with the buildings edge. The Demon Lord had already retreated back into his portal.

"Up here," the same demonic voice called.

Takeru looked up to find Angemon falling to the ground. He was about to rush to him when he felt a sharp pain run through his chest. A black orb floated before his eyes. "So that's Dagomon's digital core," said a voice from behind the blond.

"It's as bland as I thought it would be," Daemon spoke from behind Takeru. He noticed the boy trying to move and stabbed into his back once again with his other hand. He slashed both arms outward and sent the boy flying forward into the ground. His other hand once again held a purple orb. The two digital cores quickly circled around the demon's right wrist.

Takeru strained to pick himself up. The blood leaking from his nose made it hard to catch his breath. It went unnoticed to him, but two pieces of his cloak started to disintegrate. Even if he had noticed it, it didn't matter to him. His eyes stayed locked onto Angemon as he was getting closer to the ground. He tried dashing once more only to trip. Something had gabbed onto his ankle. Before he could even hit the Earth, he was once again stabbed through.

A dark portal had manifested beneath the boy and Daemon's wings had found their target. This time a white and a green orb were forced out.

"I may not be able to teleport as quickly as you can, but this is more than enough for your deteriorating state." The demon flicked his wings and the boy went sailing into his partner just before he hit the asphalt.

The two bindings on the Takeru's ankles stared to fade. Their golden color almost became a dingy brown. His cloak had reverted back to only having a single piece of cloth. The boy didn't move an inch as his partner struggled to stand up. Angemon urged him to do the same.

"I… can't move," Takeru strained. "Angemon, you and the others need to get out of here."

Angemon couldn't believe what he was hearing from Takeru. "You want me to just leave you behind?"

"You saw how he ripped the digicores out of me. Something like that didn't even cross my mind. If I lose the last one, you all will be in trouble."

The angel couldn't swallow what he was being told. Takeru had just said that he'd be the distraction so that he and the others could get away.

"You're the only one who can move now so you'll have to go. I won't ask you to do everything I had planed, but if those cores truly get stolen, you need to get them back, no matter what."

The conversation was cut short as Daemon landed his foot atop Angemon's helmet. As his foot held the angel down, he gripped into Takeru's shoulder, lifting him to eye level. He enjoyed the anguished look on the boys face as his nails gripped into his flesh. The left side of the blond's cloak became soaked in blood.

"I was thinking to myself, 'for all the pain afflicted on this child, there wasn't much to show for it,'" the demon chuckled. His grip grew tighter, "I know I'm being unnecessarily sadistic, but I'm just to livid not to be.

The smile never left Daemon's face. "Being held up gave me time to think about why I'm here. I came here to power myself with the power of the dark spore, yet here you are. You're like a walking power plant. I was planing to kill you in the first place, so why not take your powers along with your life." He felt something crunch in his grip. Takeru couldn't help but release a stained cry. "I've been waiting for that."

Daemon used his other hand to get the final digital core within Takeru. The on that was the deepest within him. The Demon Lord rammed his free hand into the boy's chest and started tugging at the last core. Slowly but surly a golden orb with a red center was being clawed out. It was a tough fight just getting a grip on it, let alone pulling it out, but Daemon persevered. This was his true prize for stripping the boy of _all_ of his powers.

"You should be thankful to your friend, Ken Ichijouji," Daemon looked to he dark haired boy. "He may not have been able to stop me, but at least he could save you."

Takeru's cloak itself, finally started to break down. As he collar turned to bits of data, it revealed a holy binding around his neck. It had been the original one that he had gotten from the Holy Stone. It too started to lose it's shine as the digicore was being taken away.

The blond himself hadn't truly given up just yet. He did however, understand the likelihood of him surviving this encounter. That however, wasn't enough to keep him from fighting back. It was hard, but he gripped Daemon's claw and tried to stop it the best he could. He racked his brain for an idea to at the very least, buy him more time.

As he watched the digicore leave his body, he eyes were drawn to the demon's right hand. They fallowed it's grip until they reached the digicores resting on it's wrist. The demon hadn't absorbed them yet. He struggled, but he managed to lift his left hand onto one.

Daemon watched as the boy palmed at the digital cores on his arm. He couldn't still be thinking of fighting, could he? Unlike before, the boy was in no state to be fighting back. His body moved, but there was no power behind it's movements. It amused him to see the boy fighting back so hard. What happened next however, ripped the smirk from the Demon Lord's face.

For only a second, the boy's eyes shined white. His right hand also glowed with the same brightness. The fingers that had only gripped at the Demon Lord's arm quickly ate into his skin. With one swift motion, Daemon lost his left hand. As the demon watched his blood gush from his forearm, he could only curse to air. He staggered back and gripped his arm in pain. How could the boy draw out a core's power by just touching it?

Takeru landed on the ground with a dull thud as the hand that had just been inside of him burst to bits. His holy binding around his neck shined once more and his cloak reappeared. The boy could only gasp for air as he rolled onto his hands.

He watched the look in Daemon's eyes change. They became even more intense than his flames. Daemon normally carried a superior demeanor, but it seemed to crack under his rage. When angry, the Demon Lord displayed a power Takeru had never seen before. Daemon was truly a demon of wrath.

A great ball of fire erupted from the Demon Lord's hand, "I'll burn you and your friends to nothing but ash." The blond looked back to find that his friends were right in the line of fire. "These cores are more than enough to take over the digital world. I'll just do the same as you and pay the last two Harmonious Ones a little visit." He launched the fireball at the boy.

Everyone watched as Takeru fought to try to stand up to the pillar of fire. The digimon quickly moved their partners out of the way of the attack. Everyone else with out one also scattered as the ball of flame drew closer to their friend.

Takeru had made it to his knees but he still could hardly move. He could only bring his arms up in defense as the flames rushed closer. He closed his eyes and braced for the impact. However, it didn't come. He uncovered his eyes to see Angemon shielding him. The angel held his rod up in defense

Takeru watched as his partner's from started to falter to the flames. He rose to his feet and placed his arms against his partners back. He could hardly reach his middle but he held up Angemon as best as he could. Once more, golden wings rested on Angemon's back to bring their total back to ten.

Angemon could feel Takeru helping him. It gave him the strength to keep standing. As the flame raged on, Angemon felt that something was off. The last time Daemon had gotten truly angry at them, he had burnt down a whole forest. If the Demon Lord was truly unleashing his true power, the whole intersection would have erupted in flames. A chill ran down the angel's spine. He shifted his weight to his back and pushed Takeru to the ground.

As Takeru hit the asphalt, he wondered why Angemon had bumped him. As he looked up, the hand running through his partner answered him. The fiery hand had burned through the angel's rod and had kept on going. He could only stare in horror as his partner coughed blood. His white skin burnt black with the demon's hot touch. His eyes were so glued on to his partner that he hadn't noticed the flame withing the demon's outstretched hand.

"No matter how hot my rage burns, I'll never be lost to it," Daemon blazed. "You two however, are a different matter. Evil In-" The demon abruptly halted his attack. Two sides of a melted rod implanted themselves into his arm. "You worthless angel. Unlike the boy, you're just a waste to space," the flame in his hand turned backwards and burned the angel. However, it wasn't enough for Angemon to let go.

"Takeru!" The boy in question perked at his name being called. He watched his partner turn his head back towards him. "You can't just go dumping your duties onto others. You decided to do those things all by yourself. I only said that I would support you, and that's all I plan on doing." What was he getting at?

"My duty is to protect you no matter what. The only reasons I protect the worlds is just to keep you safe." the boy listened to his partner. "Not just you, but the others as well. Out of the two of us, who do you think has the best chance of doing that? If I can at least manage to keep you safe, then I've done a good job, right?" The bracelet on Angemon's wrist started to shine brightly.

Angemon grabbed at the cores that rested in front of him. "You have more things to do, don't you? I won't let you die here! Not you, the others, or any of the promises you've made up until now." The digicores started to shine as well.

Angemon managed to shine brighter than the flames surrounding him. The look of shock on Daemon's face was new to everyone watching. Daemon was the only one to know what the angel doing.

"You wouldn't dare?" Daemon hissed.

"As you've said, alone I'm just a waste a space," Angemon spoke softly. "Takeru is the only reason I'm as strong as I am now. It's his feelings, along with the ones in these digital cores that will allow me to deliver my final attack. My own core might not be enough to kill you… but what about five?"

"Don't do it…" The Demon Lord strained.

"Sorry, but this is my… Testament."

A blinding light engulfed the entire intersection. No one could see how it shot upwards or how it spilled out onto the crossing streets. Random people who had fled to their homes in fear of monsters, could also see it from their windows. The light beamed it's way into the sky like some sort of homing beacon. Most would think that the light was trying to call down the divine. However, it had been a light only to silence a demon.

The beam started to dissipate into the air. It pulled back onto it self and broke apart piece by piece. Only bits of white littered their way up into the sunset sky.

 **AN: So this took some time. If you're wondering why this story has slowed down when coming out, it's because I had stockpiled about three full chapters before uploading. It's not that I had planed to keep up that pace but that was a good idea for a story first starting out. Hook people in with a strong start and when the chapters do slow down, they are hopefully already invested in the story.**

 **I've constantly talked about writing on the fly for this story but this and the last chapter were points that I've always had in mind for happening. It's just that the things within them changed drastically. In this chapter I've completely winged the scene between Taichi and Hikari. I don't know why I've suddenly felt the need to delve into Hikari's character, yet here I am once again. It's not like it just started this chapter but I didn't even think about it at all starting out.**

 **I did however, think about how Takeru would fight Daemon and that went through constant changes. I could never decide on one thing and ke** **pt on** **thinking up other ways to do it. I just had to be firm and stick what I wrote… and then rewrote. I told you that this story was** **mostly just** **to clear my mind, but I have to be careful not to clear it too much. I need to save some stuff for other stories in the future.** **However, to be honest I hadn't** **thought it would be his long** **. I guess when I write out fighting chapters, I now know how long they can take.**

 **Daemon however was an odd character to write. I feel like I based him more on the American version than the Japanese one. I also wanted someone who would play around with Takeru in a fight. He was filled with such mystery in the show that I found it easy to take a large liberty with him.**

 **But with out a doubt is setting the terms, "shifting," and "phasing." Two normal words than can be easily interchanged with how I'm using them. The main problem is that I wasn't thinking about that with the earlier chapters so it might be a little hard to fallow. When using similar terms to do almost the same thing, you need a solid explanation and consistency. That's something I need to work on in the future.**

 **As always, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and will leave any sort of comment for it.** **Leave what every you like. Next time, what will happen after Angemon's Testament?**


	8. Who are You?

**Chapter 8:**

 **Who are You?**

The silence on the streets was heavy. The pieces of light left in the air sparkled in the sunset. Everyone struggled to open their eyes after the disorientating burst of brightness. They could only rub the spots out of their sight. They were all grateful for the setting sun. It made finally opening their eyes easier. Everyone quickly gathered themselves to truly get a look at the aftermath of the holy attack.

Everyone looked around for the combatants that had been in the center of the explosion. They could only spot Takeru, who was left alone on the ground. He body was unmoving, as he tightly gripped his partner's bracelet. His face was hidden to all of them, but they didn't need to see it to know that he was grieving.

The other children were just as quiet. Once again, a comrade was lost in battle. Once again, someone gave up their life for another. Once again, Angemon had fallen before the children.

Everyone was upset, but excluding Takeru, the one who looked to be taking it the hardest was Ken. He couldn't shake the feeling that all of this was because of him. If he had gone with Daemon when given the chance, things might have ended up differently. He knew he was being delusional, but it was the only way to rationalize his feelings of guilt. This time someone else's digimon had to give their life.

The rest of the newer children, were also still in a daze. Daisuke could only grip his digivice in frustration. Miyako and Iori were completely at a lose. When Wormmon had died, there was a small sense of detachment. They hadn't gotten to personally know the digimon yet. This one being so close to them made them think of what could happen to their own partners. They were saddened for their friend's lost, but they also couldn't shake that one thought from the back of their minds.

The older chosen were also at a lost for words. The first time Angemon had been deleted was in the digital world. They didn't know what would happen when in the real world. Wizardmon managed to wander around like a ghost, but he was the only digimon who did that. Did the data go back to the digital world or did it just disappear completely? Their brief silence was soon interrupted.

"To think that he would be able to use, Testament," a voice echoed. Before the Takeru, Damon manifested from another dark portal. "I just barely managed to get out of the way." Bits of his horns had been shattered. His body was covered and bruises and his data was unstable. His right hand was almost indistinguishable. The Demon Lord looked to the bits of light that lingered in the sky. "Even in death he manages to take up space."

Daemon looked down at the boy still on his knees. "Nothing to say for your friend's sacrifice?" Takeru was still unmoving. "What about the lost of all of those digital cores you've worked so hard to obtain. You still have that single digital core within you, but alone it's almost worthless, right?"

The bracelet in Takeru's hand started to glow after Daemon finished speaking. His cloak had once again regained it's three other pieces. This time however, they didn't drape across him. They all pulled apart like wings. The trim turned blood red, while the main cloth faded between black and white. Takeru slowly got to his feet to reveal that red had overcame every part of his eyes. The boy bared his sharpened fangs at the demon before him.

The others watched as the boy's shadow started to spread out along the ground. It's darkness soon overcame everyone's footing. It's stark contrast to the light made it appear darker than it was. What truly caught everyone's eyes were the red lines that had materialized on the ground behind Takeru. A column of three horizontal lines mirrored itself on the other side of a column of two vertical lines. Gasps were shared as the lines opened up like awakening eyes.

A feeling of unease was passed along the group of children. Hikari looked towards Ken to see if he had any idea about the encompassing darkness, but he looked clueless. She then looked to her brother who was extremely tense. It was as if he was watching something that couldn't be undone.

Even after watching Angemon give his life to protect Takeru, she still carried that awful feeling from last night. Was this shadow causing her apprehension? She looked into the boy's red eyes and saw an awakening beast. Was Takeru going to be taken away as well?

Taichi could only grit his teeth at the scene occurring before him. Takeru had warned him about something like this happening. Back in France, the blond explained to him what could happen if one of the digicores inside of him took control.

Takeru's explanation was actually really simple. If he wasn't put into a comatose like state by different minds fighting for control, the strongest one would take over his mind. He had stated earlier that any dark force inside of him wouldn't be strong enough against the holy beasts within him, so there were only two real threats.

Those were the two dragons. The largest fear of the Harmonious Ones, was the take over of one of those dragons. If that were to happen, nothing would be able to stop him from destroy the digital world in one way or another. The most obvious way would be to brake their seal, but they might not risk the chance of releasing the other dragon. That would be the best of the absolute worst situation.

Takeru had asked Taichi to make sure that those worst scenarios wouldn't happen. If he were to be taken over by either dragon, he had asked him to tell the others to destroy him along with the help of Angemon and the twins. It really put Taichi off that Takeru was being extremely casual about the whole situation. It was as if he was asking to borrow a CD.

When Taichi asked what would happen if either of the dragons took over, Takeru sat on it for a bit. He had no real idea of what being taken over felt like. He guessed that his cloak would change to the color of whoever was in charge.

If the dragon of darkness were to take over, he guessed that it would turn red. There was a chance of it being black and white like before. Maybe a deep violet? The dragon of darkness went through a lot of different stages, so his cloak might do the same as well. It was too hard to settle on one thing so he left it alone to explain the other dragon.

The dragon of destruction should make the cloak shine gold. There was however one aspect that Takeru was confident about showing up. In some way, shape, or form, eight eyes should appear.

If they fought the dragon of darkness, it would just be a long, tedious battle. They would be able to pull through like they always have. If the dragon of destruction awoke however, they would have to be extremely careful. It wasn't a matter of power, but technique. If those eight eyes were to open… there's no telling how ineffectual their attacks might be on him.

The leader of the chosen glared at the eight red eyes resting behind the blond. That black, white, and red cloak didn't help matters at all. He had no idea what was going on. The only thing he knew for sure was that it couldn't be anything good. He could only watch and wait.

Before anyone could make a move, a pillar of fire erupted from underneath the blond once again. Like all of the similar attacks before, it hadn't worked. Takeru unleashed an inhuman roar that dissipated the flames. His loud cry froze everyone in the near vicinity, digimon and humans alike. This yell was unlike the roars that came from Baihumon's digicore. That roar disrupted a digimon's data. The one just released brought about a paralyzing fear.

Takeru was beginning to give another until it exited as a strained rasp. The red eyes along the ground slowly shut themselves. The blond dropped to his knees as blood dripped from his lips. He looked down to find a single claw piercing through his chest.

"I've said it before, but it's truly a shame that those dragon's reside in your body. Not just of you, but for others as well." Daemon removed his single claw from the boy's chest. "You carry both their power and their curse. If I had left you alone, you might have even destroyed your _own_ world. Be thankful that I saved you from becoming a monster." He watched as the blond fell to the blackened Earth and drop the bracelet he was holding.

As the bracelet rolled to a stop, so did everything else. Time froze for all of the children. This couldn't be happening. Takeru couldn't be… Everyone watched as the blood slowly pooled beneath the boy.

Ken's mouth quivered at the sight of the body before him. He had seen someone close to him die once before. The last time had been a horrible accident. To see someone being killed willingly by another was something completely different. It hurt in a completely different way.

Daisuke was filled with a mix of frustration and fear. How could he have watched his friend be murdered like that? How could he have not been able to help? Were the others going to end up the same way as well? He couldn't stop body from shaking uncontrollably. What was he going to do? What could he do?

Miyako couldn't stand to watch the scene before her. She shut her eyes and covered her ears. As she closed herself off to the world, she still couldn't hide from her own mind. The image of the dead blond was etched into her memory. She didn't want to remember her friend like that. She could only cry out in anguish.

Jou, Koushiro, and Sora could only hold on to Yamato to keep him from running out to his fallen brother. The blond yelled out to the demon that stood above his younger brother's body. It took everything the three had to keep their friend from also running to his own death. It wasn't easy on them either. They couldn't believe what had happened. It also took everything they had, to keep from rushing out as well.

Tears streamed from Iori's eyes. Once again he had lost someone close to him. Before he was too young to completely understand, but now he truly understood the sadness of lost. Why did it have to happen again? Why did it have to happen when he just was just starting to understand? Why did his friend have to die?

Taichi stared hard at the blond. He truly understood how prepared Takeru had been. He knew that the boy was ready for any sort of tragedy to befall him. That however didn't make this any easier to take. If he had the chance to switch places with the boy, he would have done so in a heart beat. He could only watch Yamato with an understanding glance. He would have gone rushing out there himself if Hikari wasn't still holding on to him. He stole a glace of his sister to see how she was doing.

The girl's face couldn't be read. The same could be said about her own feelings. She couldn't believe what had happened in front of her. It wasn't a matter of being in shock. Truly, within her heart she couldn't believe that Takeru had died. She couldn't explain this feeling, but she felt that it wasn't denial. The shadow that still covered the ground and the closed red eyes reassured her. That however, didn't relieve her. She still carried around that horrible feeling of dread from the past night.

Daemon looked over the fallen boy. He had truly put up a valiant effort. It only made his victory all the sweeter. His eyes glanced over to the fallen bracelet. He could feel an immense power pouring from it. "It seems like your angel transferred the cores' data into the bracelet," he sounded truly surprised. "Was that a trick he picked up by watching you?" He was mostly only speaking to himself. He picked up the small golden trinket.

The demon chuckled as he placed the bracelet on his finger. He could feel an almost endless amount of power flowing through him. His data stabilized and his wounds healed. He couldn't contain the power as his size started to grow larger and larger. He quickly surpassed his original maximum height. He could feel himself digivolving and he wouldn't have to worry about being consumed by the digicores.

He was about to fully relish in his victory but he soon felt a familiar presence. Who was carrying this overbearing pressure? It finally dawned on him that the ground was still pitch black. It couldn't be?

Before Daemon could get his thoughts together, a dragon made of shadows rose from the darkness. It's head carried the eight red eyes that had rested on the ground. It's huge, bipedal like body hunched over the boy. Even hunched over it could glare the demon in his eyes. Four thick wings rested on it's back. It's tail split into a three pronged claw. Shadow like fangs extend from it's large mouth, ready to bite.

The demon was stupefied at the sight before him. It's form was similar to the dragon of darkness but it still carried the dragon of destruction's eight eyes. He had first suspected that the boy was only calling the dragon of destruction's power. Yet, that boy somehow managed to combine both of them. He had seen it in within the last digicore… but to think that those two would truly come together like this. It was unimaginable. He looked down to the boy that was still on the ground. Was he still alive?

The dragon charged at the stunned Demon Lord. It took everything he had to hold it back. His wounds may have healed, but the digivolution disrupted his power. The shadow dragon's ridiculous strength quickly overwhelmed him.

As he was trying to keep the dragon at bay, he suddenly lost his footing. His feet started to falter to a sudden dampness. The demon glanced down to notice that he was starting to sink into a sea of darkness. His eyes once again darted to the fallen child. He saw the boy's body floating upon the surface like piece of wood caught in a shallow tide. In how many ways could he call upon the dark ocean?

He forced his focus back to the dragon pushing against him. His balance kept getting worse as his legs sunk deeper into the darkness. "Who are you?" he hissed to the dragon. Who was he fighting? If it was truly both of the dragons, he might not be able to stand a chance, even if the digivolution was completed.

The shadow dragon kept pushing forward until the demon rammed into the closest building. Dust erupted from the building collapsing inward. The beast's mouth hung open as if it was releasing an inaudible hiss. It kept a constant watch for movement within the rubble. It along with everyone else was awaiting Daemon's next move.

Two gigantic wings expanded from the smoke. They flapped in the air like a soft cloth. The spikes at the top had extended themselves to look more claw like. The demon they were connected to shot up from the smoke with just one flap of his mighty wings. Other than his new wings, the only noticeable change was that his clawed hand shrunk to a symmetrical size.

"Don't get to full of yourself just yet," the demon roared, "I won't be defeated by a mere shadow." The dragon spewed black flames upward at him in response. Daemon could only hold up his arms in defense. He used his, Double Dust, to swat the flame away with magic. As he cleared his sight, he saw the dragon take off towards him once again.

The shadow dragon rushed upward at a blinding speed. The mindless beast let out another inaudible roar at his opponent. As it opened it's mouth to deliver a bite, it's head was forced shut. The Demon Lord had hammered his clasped fists onto the dark dragon's crown. The demon quickly grasped it's long neck.

"It doesn't matter who you are," Daemon confirmed. "You… All of _you_ can just drown together in your own darkness." With all of his might, he threw the dragon back to the blackened water below. As he watched the dragon begin his fall, he felt a sharp tug on his shoulder. The dragon had latched onto him with his clawed tail. His strong throw and the dragon's weight were more than enough to drag him down ass well.

The two giants hit the water hard. The dark water shot high enough to rain back down on the spectators. No one dared to move an inch, in fear of also being swept away. While the water didn't manage to touch anyone else, they could still feel it's chill.

As the water settled, something glittered amongst the darkness. It wasn't Takeru, for he had also sunk with the two monsters. It was Angemon's bracelet. Just like the rest watching, it too seemed to not be effected by the darkness that still lingered. It rolled to a stand still as the gold stood out amongst the black.

Silence once again claimed the area. No one knew what had just happened. Not even the warned Taichi. No one dared to move in fear of being swallowed up themselves. No one except for Yamato, who only stayed motionless because of the people still holding on to him. He was about to say something until a yell interrupted him.

Every turned to the sudden noise. Ken was tied up by Arukenimon's webbing and had been yanked to the digimon's grasp.

"I can't believe that the brat managed to take down Daemon with him," the spider cackled. "I knew he could be a pain but to go to such extent, even after his death."

"Takeru is not dead!" Hikari yelled. This had been the first time she had spoken in what felt like forever for her. "Now, let Ichijouji go."

"It seems you kids are still too foolish," Arukenimon deadpanned. "Your blond friend is dead, and this one," she yanked at her webbing, "is mine now." The arachnid loaded Ken into the trailer. "Don't feel too bad though, any digimon would have died form an attack like that." She sneered back at the kids from inside of the trailer, "not that you kids would now anything about that." She quickly closed the back and the truck sped off.

Everyone glared at the speeding truck. The only one who made any sort of move was Daisuke, who ran after it shouting for Ken. The other children were too drained to go running after what they had just seen. Some stared at the darkness that still stained the ground. Others did their best to avert their eyes. The only one who was occupied was Jou. The older boy had his cellphone out and was speaking to someone. Less than a minute passed before a yellow car raced towards them.

"I called my brother, so that you guys can catch up to them in his car," the eldest boy explained. "Hikari, Miyako, Iori, hurry along and go save Ken and those other kids."

"But…" Iori looked to the darkened center of the intersection.

Yamato walked up to the young boy and pulled something green out of his pocket. It was Takeru's digivice. He placed in Iori's palm, "here, Takeru wanted to make sure you got this… just in case." The blond visibly mulled over his next words. "He didn't say anything else but… I'm sure he felt like you would get some use out of it. I don't think he would give it away as just something to remember him by."

Iori soaked in what he was told. He gave the digivice in his hand a stern look. Takeru's words of support replayed in his mind. "Right," he gripped the device. "I'll go help save Ichijouji." His eyes were sharp and disciplined as he ran off to the car.

Miyako on the other had was handling things much worse. She had collapsed onto the ground in emotional fatigue. Sora and Hawkmon had been trying to comfort and encourage the girl while Yamato was talking to Iori. She was having a hard time dealing with the death of her friend that she had just witnessed. She couldn't sake off the feeling of dread that covered her.

The only thing that caught Miyako's attention were the sound of light footsteps. She soon felt a familiar pair of hands rest upon her shoulders. She looked up and found a set of soft eyes. The only words to leave the soft eyed girl's mouth were, "we need your help."

Miyako didn't know why but she felt some of her worries float away. Hikari's words also shared the girl's determination. She remembered her saying that Takeru hadn't died. She now felt like she could also believe in those words as well. She headed off to the car still a bit weighed down, but lighter than before.

Hikari was about to head off to the car herself until her bother called out to her.

"Hikari… you…" the brunette couldn't finish his words. He didn't even know what to say.

"I'm fine, brother," the girl didn't turn around to face him. "This darkness…" She lightly motioned with her hand, "it's something I've never felt before. It's not scary nor is it painful. However, it still makes me feel uneasy. You looked like you knew what was going on. Whenever we get the chance, I want you to tell me about it."

Taichi watched his sister run off and get into the car. He watched as it sped down the road Daisuke and the truck had taken. She wasn't fine at all but she was at least sure that Takeru was still alive. He could only look down at the darkness beneath him. His eyes quickly looked up at the approach of Yamato and the others.

"So… what do we do now?" Sora solemnly looked around.

"You heard Hikari," Yamato spoke up, "Takeru isn't dead. Not yet."

"Then I guess that means we wait," Jou stated.

"Koushiro, can you figure anything out about all of this?" Taichi wondered.

"Sorry Taichi, I wouldn't even know where to start when it comes to analyzing this." The boy in question explained. Koushiro though on the matter just a bit more, "but I guess I could try to do something… This seems to be a gate to the dark ocean, so I'll look into any other gates that have been opened."

Everyone walked off to where the shadow had tapered off in to the road. They didn't feel well standing atop of the darkness. Koushiro and Jou sat on the curb while analyzing the laptop. Taichi, Yamato, and Sora decided to lean against the near by building. All they could think about was how messed up things were. They could only wallow in their own uselessness.

* * *

It had once again become dark. Why did it always become dark? What was he doing wrong? Why couldn't he do anything? Was he not trying hard enough? Why…?

As he fell deeper into the darkness, these were the thoughts that assaulted him. Only his failures came to the forefront of his mind. His guilt weighed him down. He could only sink deeper.

 _I never thought that my power would dwell inside someone who could drown inside of this sea._

Dagomon…?

 _Grrrr…_

That had to have been IceDevimon…

 _I would understand if you felt like giving up…_

Xuanwumon…

 _But you're not the type to just give up, are you…?_

Baihumon as well…

 _Darkness alone no longer holds any meaning to you…_

The presence from France…

 _You've planed to overcome much more than just this…_

This voice as well…

 _It's your choice on how to overcome._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _How will you overcome once again?_

The voice was right. He finally opened his eyes and was greeted by the darkness that actually surrounded him. He had overcame the darkness within his own heart and was ready to once gain face his reality. His eyes were drawn upward by the sight of a fading light. That light also called out to him as well. He reached up with all of his might and grasped at the familiar light.

* * *

Hikari and Miyako had separated from the others to chase around LadyDevimon. She had been attacking the truck Ken was in and was endangering the other drivers. They had been running around for so long that it had already gotten dark.

They both had made their way to the top of a highrise to see if they could get a better look at where Silphymon had gone. They looked on from behind a crowd of people, but were able to catch a glimpse of the battle. Lights of a clashing fight flickered throughout the sky.

If that wasn't enough to catch the crowd's attention, what came next managed to turn everyone's heads. A beam of light shot off into the sky from a couple of miles away. It was similar to the white light that had lit up just that afternoon.

The two fighting digimon also stood still as they watched light beam to the sky once more. Daemon wouldn't be able to make a light like that. The two had stopped only for a moment before once again returning to battle.

Inside, the girls were also briefly distracted before they rushed off to fallow their own battle. As soon as they hit the streets, Miyako voiced her mind, "I can't believe Takeru could survive that." She could hardly keep herself from staring at the beam of light.

Hikari on the other hand kept her eyes forward. She didn't feel like now was the time to voice her opinion or be distracted. "We need to hurry, Miyako." She voiced her top priority. "We need to make sure no one gets hurt."

The glasses girl turned her attention to her friend. She couldn't read what was on her mind at the moment. Hikari had always been like that, but now it seemed almost forced. She couldn't tell how she felt about what had happened to Takeru. What _was_ clear, was that Hikari was focused on the task at had. Miyako also got herself into gear and took the lead from Hikari. She still wasn't sure about killing other digimon, but she was going to at least make sure no one got hurt.

* * *

Iori was watching Shakkoumon fight off MarineDevimon. He held on tight to the two identical digivices in his hands. He hadn't been surprised that Takeru's digivice had given Ankylomon the power to digivolve by himself. The light that rose to the sky gave him the will to keep fighting, even if Takeru wasn't there with him. What he found odd was that Takeru's digivice hadn't reacted to the light at all. Only when he felt his own will to fight rise did the digivice start to shine.

He quickly made his way into the hospital along with Jou's brother. Even if Shakkoumon won, others were still in danger in the meantime. He had no problem saving people himself if it meant that he didn't have to destroy another. He just hoped that he had enough strength to do the right thing.

* * *

Daisuke still raced after the truck. He, Wormmon, and V-mon had left the fighting to the others. He needed to get to Ken no matter what. He had caught a glimpse of the light as it lit up the night sky. He had been sure that it was Takeru. If the blond hadn't given up yet, then how could he. He called out to run even faster. He wouldn't let Ken get away from him and the others.

* * *

The older children couldn't believe what was going on. The light had been surprising, but what caught them off guard the most was the second thing that had came from the darkness. In front of the beam of light stood a demon.

The demonic monster smiled down at them. His wings flapped in the wind as he examined his new body. The only real change was that his arms were now symmetrical and that he now had an actual middle section. Other than that, the demon was mostly the same if not for his towering size.

The chosen could only grit their teeth in frustration. This hadn't been what they had expected from the light. How could Daemon still be alive and stronger than ever? This wasn't fair in the least.

The children's anger caused the demon's grin to widen. As a show of strength, he would test out his new powers on their bodies. Flames started to gather at his mouth. Slowly an orb of fire gathered. His bright orange flame almost put the beam of light behind him to shame. He was about to fire until he heard a voice from behind him. He had no idea from whom it came, but he wouldn't take any chances.

Daemon quickly turned around to fire his attack, Algol's Flame. The expected explosion of flames however didn't come. In fact, his attack was eaten by both the darkness and the light that now swirled into each other. A whirlwind of light and darkness assaulted everyone, causing them to cover their faces.

Of the children, only Taichi and Yamato tried to keep their eyes open to see what was going on. While both the light and darkness whipped past them, a golden shine still stood out from where their center once was. Their digivices started to respond to whatever it was. They both shared a glance before they held up their devices. Beams of light hit the golden object and revealed it to be Angemon's bracelet.

As the bracelet absorbed the power of their digivices, it's golden glow started to shine brighter. Soon after, Koushiro and Jou's digivices started to respond as well. They also helped out by raising their own and sending out their light. The golden light grew stronger and stronger.

The only one who was left out was Sora. This situation had reminded her of the time Angemon had defeated Devimon. She felt kind of upset that she was being left out this time. She rose up her digivice as well to try and help. However, unlike the others, darkness came out of hers. The bracelet accepted it as easily as the light. It was only after gathering everyone's energy did the whirlwind disperse by blasting down the streets.

The children covered their eyes once again. They all quickly opened them to see who would be standing at the center of the chaos. Standing there, looking better than they had ever seen him that day, was Takeru. His cloak was now golden with a red trim. There was a large hole in his shirt but there wasn't a wound to be seen. The thing that caught their attention the most were his eyes. They were the usual blue but his pupils were thin and golden.

The blond's face however, didn't show any sort of mood. No smiles or frowns graced his lips. His entire body seemed almost listless. The only thing to give his emotions away were the tears that streamed from his eyes. Even as the boy wiped at them, the water wouldn't stop coming.

"I knew that once the tears started to fall, they wouldn't be able to stop," Takeru had given up wiping them away.

Daemon examined the boy, for what he felt like was the hundredth time. How had he survived? He looked down at the boy's wrists. On his right rested his partner's bracelet. On his other wrist rested what was most likely his original binding.

As Daemon watched the boy, his mind wandered to his past. The boy's appearance was exactly the same as his former ruler's original form. It gave him an unease that he hasn't felt since facing the dragon of destruction. That memory made him focus on the boy's eyes. It seemed like that dragon was the one at the helm now. The irony of the whole situation wasn't lost to him at all. However, instead of funny, he found it slightly annoying.

"First that shadow dragon, and now the appearance of a fallen ruler." Daemon thought aloud. "Are these things on purpose?"

"It can't be helped," Takeru answered dully. "The dragon of destruction has a higher presence within me, while the dragon of darkness still has an actual form to draw from."

"I see…" Daemon understood. Those past colors suddenly made sense to him. "So I'm assuming that you plan to use the power of the dragon of destruction to defeat me. I should warn you that I've ascended past the level of a mere Mega level digimon."

Takeru seemed to ignore the boast, and got into a crouched runners stance once more.

"No comeback this time?" Daemon laughed inwardly at the thought of the boy using an attack that had already been seen through. With his size now being even larger than it could have gotten originally, the boy's attacks would bounce right off of him. "Fine then, give me your best shot."

At the sound of the demon's voice Takeru shot off at demon like he had done before. This time however instead of shifting behind the demon, Takeru had stomped the ground in front of him. The asphalt cracked under the pressure and left the demon to falter on an uneven foot hold. But that hadn't been what caused Daemon to stagger.

What managed to make Daemon to take a step back was the aura that the boy was giving off. It hadn't felt like it was the boy who had rushed him, but one of the digimon within him that had. He swore he had seen the white shadow of Baihumon about to bite into him. Daemon quickly pulled himself together to get ready to face the boy once more. However, he looked down to find that Takeru had vanished. Could he have shifted away for a surprise attack?

No matter, Daemon wouldn't fall for such a cheap trick. His closeness to the dark ocean may have hindered him a bit in the last fight, but it had also helped him out. He was able to sense portals leading to and from the ocean, so the boy's tricks hardly ever worked on him.

The other children also found themselves looking for Takeru. They too hand lost track of the boy after he created a very contained earthquake. They were surprised to hear Daemon unleash a roar of pain. Their eyes darted to the gigantic digimon to find him falling forward to the ground. They quickly zeroed in on Takeru, who seemed to have delivered an, Iron Clawed, powered kick to the back of the demon's neck.

Daemon crashed into the Earth face first, as his body slid across the road. How had that happened? He hadn't sensed the boy's presence at all. Thinking about it, he hadn't felt anything from the boy since he had gotten up. Only when the blond attacked, would he be able to feel something and it wasn't the boy at all.

The Demon Lord's thoughts were interrupted by Takeru landing roughly on his back. Daemons body sunk as if trying to become one with the road. It was as if Xuanwumon had landed on the demon himself.

Takeru ran along the demon's back and grabbed at the bottom of one of his wings. The boy stepped deep into Daemon's back before dashing for the demon's head. He tore out the wing with each step. As he reached the wing's main stem a blue laser shot from his eyes. The wing stem started freezing all the way through. As he finally reached the frozen stem, he let go and attacked with all the speed he had gained and shattered the wing off completely. Takeru's momentum carried him and the wing off of the gigantic Mega and onto the road.

The chosen were amazed by Takeru's attack. He had quickly overwhelmed Daemon this time. If he could keep this up, then winning seemed closer than before. However, something felt off to all of them. It was like they had forgotten something important. The closer they looked at the boy, the more out of breath he appeared.

Daemon tried his best not to shout out in pain. Questions piled within the demon's mind. This wasn't the power of the dragon of destruction. The boy was still only using the powers of the other cores, and yet he was this strong. The blond hadn't been holding back at all before, so where did all of this power come from? Could he have become more compatible with the digital cores?

Another thought ran through the Daemons mind. He looked down to find the boy deleting his broken wing under his foot. Data vanished into the air as the wing disintegrated. He looked into the boy's eyes once more. They confirmed one his suspicions. The boy's heaving breathes confirmed the other.

A hallow chuckle escaped his mouth. "You really are something. You're made of data right now, aren't you? It's the only way you could have ever hoped to be alive after taking that attack earlier."

Takeru place a hand at his chest, "I'm… Right now, I'm at a point between digital and physical."

Daemon was surprised by the answer. "Are you saying that for me or yourself?" The boy didn't give him a response. "Well, if you are made of data right now, then I would stop fighting. A digital body won't last long fighting like that. You've gained a bit too much power, haven't you? Unlike me you can't digivolve, so that only leaves one way for all of that power to leave you."

Those words struck a chord within the others. Where had they heard something like that before? Their minds suddenly snapped back to Angemon's first fight. They all hesitated to look down at their digivices. Had they sealed Takeru's fate like they had done Angemon's in the past?

"It doesn't matter what happens to my body," Takeru stated, "I _will_ kill you."

"I see," Daemon's body started to digitize and break apart. Bits of data circled around him and started repairing his broken wing. The demon's form also started shrinking within the gust of data. As the lost wing started to reform, the data storm also slowed down. When it was all over a much smaller Daemon had appeared flexing in newly fixed appendage.

Takeru sized up the new Daemon. Instead of matching the height of the buildings around him, he was only slightly taller than a larger NBA player. Not just his height, but even his over all size out classed the athletes on the posters, Takeru had in his room.

"What's he planning to do in that compact from?" Daemon looked down on the boy. "That's what you're thinking, correct?" He turned to his side and rose his hand. Fire shot out towards the others.

The chosen could only hold their arms up in defense against the incoming flames. Once again, the flames couldn't touch them. Takeru had appeared in front of them to block the attack. Unlike before, the flames completely disappeared instead of phasing to the dark ocean. As the flames died down, they were greeted to the sight of an empty street. Daemon had vanished.

"Cowered…" Takeru exhaled almost out of breath. As he was about to turn around to the others someone bumped into him.

"Takeru!" Yamato yelled while tripping into his little brother, "sorry…" He got up to extend his hand and firmly griped his bother's, "you're alright." He was surprised that he could actually knock him over. A question rose to the tip of his tongue but he couldn't get it out.

"For the most-," Takeru was once again cut off. Sora had also ran up and tripped into Yamato who in turn once again, tripped into him. "You guys should stop running."

"Noted," Koushiro was already making his way over slowly along with Jou. The only person left to slowdown was Taichi.

"Right, slow and steady," Taichi said avoiding the cracks in the road. "But, are you really alright? Weren't those dragon things released when you…" Taichi thought hard about his next words, "you know."

"Not really." Takeru got to his feet.

"What dragon things?" Jou asked. "Were not fighting dragons too, are we?"

"We're not." Takeru was messing with the bracelet on his right hand. "I'm doing alright by-" once again he was cut off by someone coming in contact with him.

Sora held the boy's face in her hands. Her eyes were glued to the bits of ice that ran under his eyes. She lightly brushed the ice away with her fingers. "But you aren't okay," Sora asserted. "Angemon sacrificed himself, and then you were stabbed. Then this weird dark monster popped out and you were sent under that dark water for what felt like hours. And then… and then…" Sora was starting to stutter. "And then I shot more darkness at you myself." She had finally embraced the boy, "I'm sorry."

Takeru hugged the redheaded girl back, "It's fine Sora." He let her pull back so he could give her his first smile since he had gotten back up. "In fact, that darkness gave me a bit of a pick me up. You were pretty jealous of the others, weren't you?"

Sora couldn't help but blush as the boy had announced her inner feelings. The redder she got, the more Takeru seemed to smile. "I-I-I just wanted to help too."

"And that's why I'm thankful," Takeru backed away slightly. "All of us can easily share our light, but sharing one's darkness is a bit harder if you want to get positive results. Something as small and harmless as the envy to help a friend is a good place to start."

"Speaking of those lights," Koushiro cut in. "Why did only our digivices respond, but not Sora's?"

"That was probably a response to the Harmonious Ones. They must have called out to you from Angemon's bracelet." Takeru explained.

"So they knew that you couldn't get out of that mess alone," Yamato stated.

"That's right, all of us are connected to the Harmonious Ones," Koushiro exclaimed. "Our crest set them free. Xuanwumon and Baihumon must be connected to the four us, like you and Hikari are connected to Qinglongmon."

"See Sora, you weren't being left out," Taichi smirked. "Takeru just hadn't gotten to your Harmonious One yet."

"Enough," Jou spoke up, "we need to check up on Takeru's injury. If you've all forgotten, he was..." Jou coughed into his hand. "Anyway, lift up your shirt and show me wound."

Takeru quickly back away. "Sorry, no can do. I've got to catch up to Daemon before he get's away."

"I can't believe you're still plan to keep fighting," Yamato disapproved. He was finally able to ask his daunting question, "And about those lights from the digivices. The last time something like that happened Angemon died. What's gonna happen to you? You look like you're about to fall over."

"Well, it can't be helped," Takeru held up both of his bracelets. "I've made a few promises." He turned away from the others and started running off. "Don't worry, I'll be perfectly fine this time, I've got a plan," he yelled as he shifted out of sight.

The group looked to where the boy had just been standing. No one wanted to ask the obvious question running through everyone's minds.

That's why Jou decided to ask the second most wanted question, "do you think he can find Daemon?"

Koushiro was the one to answer, "seeing how Daemon ran away, he could only be going to one place."

"We held Takeru up for quite a while," Sora realized. "I hope he hasn't gotten to Ken yet."

"I'm sure that the others have caught up to the truck by now." Yamato reassured.

"Me too," Taichi added. "If all of them work together, I'm sure they can beat Daemon as well. Come on guys, let's get back home and wait for the others."

As the older chosen started to make their way back home through the night, Yamato's final question broke their silence. "By way, how about you tell us more about those dragons, Yagami."

Taichi's stride came to an abrupt stop. "I don't know about that. You saw how Takeru gets when he's angry."

"I'm sure he'll be to tired to fight back, so don't worry."

"Come one, cut me some slack here. I'm the only one who has to think up an excuse for why my sister isn't home yet."

"Don't worry about that, leave it to my brother." Jou said. "I'm interested as well."

Sora and Koushiro expressed the same interest. Taichi groaned, "this is going to be a long walk home, isn't it?"

* * *

Daemon had finally caught up with the truck carrying Ken. At first he had just planed to take the boy, but then an odd man came out instead. He gave off an aura of darkness that was much different than the Ichijouji boy. The odd man was willing to give him what he wanted but he also found out that there were other children with dark spores. He had wanted to get all of them but those other children got in his way.

Even in his old form, those children and their digimon wouldn't have been enough to defeat him. The only problem was having them waste his time. He had tricked the blond boy and gotten a head start in finding the truck. He didn't want his efforts to go to waste, but as if life was laughing in his face, these kids held him back.

All of their attacks together managed to hold him in place. Daemon cursed his smaller form, but it was the price to pay for mobility. He looked around to find a way out and noticed a building full of humans. He smirked at the though of doing the same to these kids as he had done to the blond. He pointed his other and at the building and fired at will.

The children watched as the flames were about to consume the building whole. Imperialdramon had to change modes just to try to hold it back. Some flames however spilled out and still went for the onlookers. Before the flames could touch anyone, they dispersed into small embers.

There standing on the railings, was Takeru. His hood masked his face from the bystanders. His eyes were still lit by a sharp golden light.

The others were ecstatic that Takeru had shown up. It meant that he was really alright. The only one who seemed put off by his arrival was the Demon Lord himself.

Daemon released his attack and backed off form the large dragon digimon. He looked into Takeru's eyes as if he was trying to find something. He could only smirk as he looked past the darkness of the boy's hood. He had to play this smart if he wanted to win.

All of the other children had gathered to the street just in font of the apartment building. They were trying to come up with a plan to defeat Daemon. With Takeru there, they could try attacking together once more. His added power should be enough to at lest put a scratch on the demon.

Takeru himself hadn't taken his eyes off of the Demon Lord. Just getting to the fight winded the boy. He somehow managed to put on a bright face for the older children. He was glad that things had come to a stop, if only for a second. He was just about to check on the others until a light caught his attention. Fire was coming at him once again. He waved the flames away only to find that Daemon had vanished again. Takeru could only growl in annoyance. He couldn't believe he fell for the same trick twice.

A shout to his left caused him to turn his head. He only caught a glimpse of the demon before he had two fingers rammed at his eye sockets. The attack didn't end there, as Daemon's hands lit aflame. One kept it's place at the boys face as the other pointed to the bystanders once more.

Takeru's only counter was grabbing the hand that attacked him. As he gripped at the flaming hand, he focused on the fire. The more he focused the more both flames started to die down. As soon as he had put out the flames, he flung the demon away from the apartment building.

As he watched Daemon fly back, the demon released his, Algol's Flame. Takeru quickly brought his hands up and dispersed those flames the same as he had done all of the others. Takeru huffed as he lightly touched his face to make sure that nothing was burnt. Golden light still glowed from behind the shadows of his hood. The blond gathered himself as he watched the other digimon move Daemon further away from the apartments.

Takeru was about to go to the others, but he felt another incoming attack. He looked up to find a pillar of fire shooting down on top of the building. He quickly made his way to the roof to intercept it. He braced his right hand to once gain vanish the flames. He couldn't help but look at his trembling hands, they were almost numb. He didn't have time to worry as more flames rained down on the apartment.

The other digimon were having a hard time dealing with Daemon's speed. His eyes were dead set on the apartment building he was attacking. The demon managed to keep up his assault while dodging their attacks. It seemed like it was only by chance that one of their attacks managed to land a hit. Even it was by luck, the others also took advantage of it and fired their own attacks. They managed to force the Demon Lord into a smoky heap on the ground.

The flames had stopped raining down on the building as soon as Daemon hit the ground. Takeru was cursing himself for not taking Daemon out, back when he had the chance. He had let his anger control him, and had only wanted to hurt the demon the same way he had been. His thoughts were halted by another attack from behind.

The blond turned around to hold back a charging Daemon. The two clasped their hands together to try and force the other one back.

Daemon managed a small chuckle, "I can't believe you can still move with that ragged body." Daemon tried to force some magic to his fists but it wouldn't come. It was as if his attacks would vanish as soon as they came into contact with the boy.

Daemon looked into the boy's eyes."While I just took the power that leaked from that angel's bracelet, you took on his digital core." The boy didn't answer back. "Testament is an attack where the users life is converted into pure energy to destroy one's opponent. If you've taken a digital core from an digimon that does an attack like that before it reforms, you'll get that explosive energy for yourself." He started pushing Takeru's arms back, "You also took some power from those other children. The problem with powers like that, is that they can only be used all at once. They're at an extreme where the body no longer remains after their use."

Daemon was slowly gaining the upper hand, "Now for that dragon of destruction. While all digimon have to ability to delete data directly, none could match up to that golden dragon's. Yet, you only seem to be able to delete attacks." Daemons grip grew tighter as he pushed the boy back step by step. "It also doesn't help that you can't seem to use any other skill while deleting attacks. I wasn't only attacking you _just_ because I hate you, you know? You can't use the power of two digital cores at once, can you?" The Demon Lord managed to push the blond to the edge of the roof.

Takeru grunted under the demon's power. He was slowly starting to lose his footing. He could only glare back at him. He was caught off guard by the demon suddenly slamming his head into his. It was painful but he took that chance to get away and gather himself. He let go of his grip and hopped back off of the roof using the momentum from the attack to carry him.

Daemon however took this as a chance as well, and rammed his horns at the boy. He had caught the blond's neck between them. He could feel the boy choking and reeling back from the attack. It seemed like that was enough for the boy to lose focus as his hands filled with magic. He punched at the boy with his, Double Dust, and popped him further into the air.

The Demon Lord clinched his fingers the prepared to finish his attack. As he watched the boy raise his right arm as some sort of defense, his smirk grew larger. If the boy had truly become one with data, he wanted to see by how much. He slashed at the blond with all of his might and sent the boy spiraling towards the ground. That wold be enough pay back for his torn wing.

The chosen watched as their friend's body twisted through the air as he crashed about a block behind them. They slowly started thinking that this fight would be harder than expected. Miyako and Iori had only been worried about destroying another digimon. They never thought they would have to worry about winning in the first place. Even so, their partners did their best to try to keep Daemon in place.

The children were about to rush over to Takeru, until something fell from the sky. It was one of his golden bracelets. Hikari was the one who caught it up. It lacked digital writing like the others, so it had to have been Angemon's. She looked to where Takeru had landed and back at the bracelet in her hands. She turned to everyone, "we have to find a way to defeat Daemon, now!"

"But we haven't even put a scratch on him," Miyako sounded dejected. "Even though Takeru came back he was defeated again."

"What if we try to send him to the digital world," Iori suggested

Miyako immediately perked up at the idea. "That's great idea Iori. I'm sure there's a laptop in the car."

Daemon chuckled as he held down blasts from the digimon. "I'm grateful of the gesture but it's unneeded. He brushed off the attacks to rise his arms to the sky. A purple mist filled the air. As the mist started to clear a the sky was painted with the scenery of plains and mountains. "As you can see, I'm capable of creating a gate to the digital world myself."

Miyako crumbled in defeat. "We can't win."

"Of course we can." Daisuke asserted. "We can't just give up."

"But what can we do?" Iori asked.

"Isn't there somewhere we could send him, where he won't escape from?" Ken pondered.

Hikari thought about that too. She fiddled with the bracelet in her hand before the thought hit her. "What about the dark ocean? It's different from the digital world. He shouldn't be able to open a portal from there."

"How do you suppose we send him there? How would we even open a gate to there?" Miyako stressed.

Hikari could only look at the bracelet in thought. "When I was taken there, I didn't open the portal myself. And…" Hikari kept fidgeting with the bracelet in her hands.

"I've opened a portal to the dark ocean before." Ken looked down to his digivice. "With this, I should be able to do it again." He rose his digivice to the portal in the sky. A light violet glow erupted from the digivice. The portal started become covered in darkness. It was beginning to spread out until the gate started closing itself. "What?"

"You didn't think I'd just sit here and let you do that." Daemon answered. "If you want to make a gate, shift, or portal of any kind, you'll have to start from scratch, just like me and the boy do."

Ken grit his teeth at the demon's words. The more upset he got, the brighter the light glowed. Soon a swirling darkness appeared within the sky. However, unlike Daemon's gate, it didn't grow any larger. The darkness was weighing heavy on Kens mind and he couldn't hold it any longer. The light from his digivice died along with his tiny portal. Ken was about to collapse from overexerting himself until someone caught his shoulder.

"Don't go passing out over something like that, Ichijouji," someone scolded. "The fights not over yet."

Everyone jerked up the voice. Takeru had gotten up and finally made his way over to them. Yet, the boy didn't look at all like they had expected. He had shown up looking better than they had left him. Now blood splattered all over his face from the wound on his head.

He had even lost his right forearm. However, no blood dripped from this wound like the last one. It was surround by broken bits of data. His left eye also looked as if it had been deleted away. Only his sharp golden pupil stood out amongst a socket of darkness.. Everyone was speechless at the boys state of being.

"Takaishi… you…" Ken was about to speak everyone's minds, but he was quickly interrupted by Takeru whispering something to him. Judging the stunned look on his face, the blond was explaining something shocking to him. Ken looked like he was about to object to something but was cut off by the blond.

"Just sending Daemon to the dark ocean won't work." Takeru addressed everyone else. "I don't know if all of you know, but gates have been opening up randomly to the dark world, all over the digital world. If we send him there, he'll just slip out."

"What?" Miyako interrupted. "Then there's really is nothing we can do to stop him."

Takeru walked over and pulled the girl up with his left hand. "Don't just go giving up before I get to finish. Just sending him won't be enough; we need to seal him there."

"Isn't that the same plan as before?" Iori asked. His mind was still shocked from Takeru's beaten appearance.

Takeru smiled at the younger boy before placing his hand atop his head. "When I say 'seal,' I mean binding him there. Even if a gate opens up, he won't be able to come through it." Takeru looked back to Ichijouji, "Ichijouji will give up on opening a gate like Daemon's. He doesn't have the fortitude to do something like that on his own. Just focus on sending me to the dark ocean and I'll manage the rest."

"You can seal things as well?" Iori beamed with hope. He was answered by Takeru giving him a smile with thumbs up.

"Wait, can't you just open a gate yourself?" Daisuke asked.

"I can hardly stand right now. I can't focus on making a gate _and_ the seal at the same time. I also have to deal with Daemon as well." Takeru released a sigh, "I never thought he would put up this much of a fight."

Some of the group was put off by Takeru's lightheartedness. He was missing an arm and an eye, and yet he talked as if stopping Daemon was some sort of chore? He was talking in such an eased manner, but his body showed signs of nothing but exhaustion. What was going through his head right now?

Miyako, being the most vocal of the group couldn't contain herself. "Was dying once not enough for you?" she blurted out. She quickly covered her mouth. She hadn't wanted to be that direct.

Takeru seemed to have realized his mistake, "it's not like that." As the boy seemed to be thinking over his next words, his eyes grew deathly sharp and his smile grew sharper. "I just want to completely destroy him down to his very last bit of data. I want to get him out of my way. I want to release these intense feelings of darkness." Takeru's eyes then focused on his friends. "And I want to help Ichijouji," he smiled brightly.

Daisuke and Miyako were slightly stunned at quick change that Takeru had went through. He has always had a slightly aggressive personality when it came to fighting the enemy, but that had been the quickest change they've seen.

"Takeru!" Hikari had yelled out to get the boy's attention.

Miyako looked somewhat glad that the other girl had spoken up. To her, Hikari had seemed a bit reserved about anything dealing with the blond boy since that afternoon. If anyone would be able to talk him out of his suicidal plan, it would be her. She watched as the girl almost seemed to glare into the boy's eyes. She was puzzled by the look of relief that washed over her DNA partner.

Hikari had released a sigh after confirming that her worries were now over. Both his words and his eyes confirmed that Takeru was still himself and hadn't been taken over by someone else. It had felt as if Takeru's will was being manipulated ever since he had reappeared in front of them yesterday. However, she didn't let that distract her from what needed to be done at the present, and right now Takeru and Ichijouji needed to work together.

There was just one last thing she needed to be sure of, however. "Takeru… you've already broken your promise once, so you better not do it again."

The blond looked away from the girl to glance at his missing arm. "I… don't think I can keep that promise." He then looked back into Hikari's ruby pink eyes, "but how about I make a new one. Take care of Angemon's bracelet until I need it back."

Hikari was taken off guard by the sudden request. Takeru was planing something and it was as clear as the smile on his face. She walked over to him and removed her scarf. It wasn't much, but she tried to wipe away as much blood on his face that she could. It hadn't done much, but his smile made her feel better. She didn't want to, but she settled for the boy's promise to return.

Takeru turned towards the fighting. "Now that everything's settled, let's get started." Takeru started making his way towards the still fighting digimon, "you better not give in like you did before, Ichijouji. You owe me, so you better drown Daemon in darkness."

Ken looked down at his digivice and thought over the plan Takaishi had set up. The blond had only simplified it for the others. He couldn't believe what the boy was about to do. If Takaishi was willing to go that far to defeat Daemon, then he could at least stand up to his own darkness.

Ken's digivice once again glowed with a violet light. He focused his sight on Takaishi's back. He sunk into his own darkness to try and send Takaishi to the dark ocean. His mind was once again assaulted by fear and anxiety. It felt as if his heart was in a vice, but he still didn't look away. He watched as his friend started giving off a similar violet aura.

Takeru clinched his left hand as he felt Ichijouji's darkness cover him. He had faith that the boy would be able to pull through on his part. All he needed to do now was to get Daemon's attention.

The Demon Lord was still busy dealing with the other digimon. Takeru didn't know how but they were able to hold the Demon Lord down again. He was once again thankful for the time to rest. He was reaching his limit. The power Angemon and the other children had given him were just about to tear him apart. It didn't help that he was now also taking on Ken's darkness. Unlike Sora, Ken had a lot more to give.

Even in his anguish, the blond was truly grateful to his odd body. He didn't even want to think about how painful it would have been if it was still normally just flesh. He was glad, because without it, he wouldn't be able to pull off this plan at all.

He huffed as he tried to gather his breath. He watched as Daemon once again broke away from the digimon's attacks. The demon had caught him in his sights and rushed towards him while firing his, Algol's Flame. Takeru pulled his left arm back, ready to strike the on coming attack.

The blond was just about to leap through the attack until he felt a disturbance. Ichijouji was losing his focus. The darkness was spiking out of control. He couldn't move an inch. Time seemed to have slowed as he watched the ball of fire get closer. Takeru could only grit his teeth in frustration.

Takeru was about to be struck by the fiery attack until his hand suddenly shot forward and blocked the ball of fire. The darkness that surrounded him surprisingly stabilized it self. As he fended off the fire he could feel something other than Ichijouji within the darkness. He could feel the others holding on to Ichijouji. They were helping him deal with his darkness. If it was like this, Ichijouji could easily keep up his side of the plan. Takeru smirked at the though of falling short of brunette boy. It was his turn to hold up his side.

That however, appeared easier said than done. The orb of fire didn't stop it's decent onto the Earth. The others watched as Takeru was encompassed by the fireball completely. Gasps were released all around as they all had thought the boy had been crushed. They however, were proven wrong as Takeru shot from within the flames to deliver a strike that sent Daemon sailing into the ground. The other digimon took this chance to combine their attacks once again.

They watched as Takeru started to make his descent. He zoned in on where Daemon was being held. He was about to put his plan into action. As they watched him pull back his arm, they saw a shocked expression wash over his face.

Within the span of just one day, he children had raced trough a number of different emotions. Most of them were negative, but they had managed to find someway of bring their spirits back up. Even so, none of them were prepared for the scene that they were about to witness.

Daemon had made a portal right in front of Takeru's fall. The demon sprung from his darkness and managed to slash away the boy's left leg. They watched as the detached leg started disintegrating into bits of data. Takeru himself, was spun out in the air and roughly hit the ground.

Daemon wouldn't lose this opportunity to continue his attack. He smirked as Imperialdramon tried to get in his way. With his smaller size, he easily zipped under the Mega's legs. He dug his claws into the road as sped for the boy. He up-heaved the asphalt as he slashed upward to send Takeru airborne.

The demon quickly made his ascent above the boy. He was about to attack again until Silphymon had decided to make theirs. Daemon quickly dodged out of their way of their, Dual Sonic, only to grasp the digimon by the ankle. He sung the DNA digimon around until he slammed them into Takeru, to send the boy crashing back onto the ground. He released Silphymon with a blast of fire, sending them into Imperialdramon.

Shakkoumon watched as all of his friends were being beaten. Silphymon and Imperialdramon had split apart and reverted to their lower forms. He was the last defense left standing. He fired his, Harmonious Spirits, at the Demon Lord in hopes of at least stopping him. His attack however, was in vain. The demon quickly flew over him and attacked with his, Algol's Flame. The attack was strong enough to make him dedigivolve as well. As his form shrunk and fell to the ground, he could make out Daemon grabbing Takeru by his neck.

Daemon grinned slyly. He had finally gotten rid of everyone that was in his way. The only one left was a boy who was missing an arm and a leg. Data started to break away not only from his wounds but his entire body as well. "This appears to be the end boy. It's been a lot of trouble, but I should at least thank you for showing me that taking the rest of the dark spores is a good choice. You've proven that one, just isn't enough."

Takeru couldn't help but release a strained chuckle. It only lasted for a second before Daemon tightened his grip.

The others looked on with fear and despair as they watched their last chance and friend slip way from them. None of them could find the strength to move. Even if they could, they would never get to him in time. They could only hold on to each other as Ken's digivice kept on glowing.

The streets fell silent in the dark night, as everyone's attention was drawn to the boy and the demon. Even the people in the apartments looked on with held breaths. They all watched as Daemon pulled his arm back and stab straight through the silence along with the boy.

The demon let out a loud howl of laughter. He had once again managed to kill the boy. Considering everything that the child's body had went through, he shouldn't be able to get back up this time. He released his grip on the boy's neck and held the boy's body to his face. His eyes were shut but his lips showed the signs of giving their last breath. His laughter could only grow louder at the thought of his victory.

The cackling had been so loud that it almost drowned out the sound of someone else's voice. Much like Daemon's laughter had, it too grew louder. It soon drowned out Daemon's own, now dying laugh. The look on the Demon Lord's face almost couldn't be described. It was a look of frustration and confusion. It was washed in fear and anguish.

"It's as you've said, Daemon… This appears to be the end," Takeru declared with his own hand stabbing into the Demon Lord. "It took a bit, but I've finally gotten to your digicore."

Daemon didn't dare make a move. He could feel the boy's grip on his digital core tighten. One misstep and his core could be ripped away. He didn't understand, how the boy could still be alive. Why wouldn't he die?

Daemon's line of sight ran to his arm that went though the child. It was only then that he noticed that there was a lack of blood. He finally noticed that his hand hadn't stabbed through the boy, but had just _passed_ through him. A mist of data covered up the hole that went through his body. His eyes strained in confusion.

"Did you really think I wouldn't be able to fight back just because my body's falling apart?" Takeru exhaled. "I've been laying this trap since I got here."

Daemon's confusion was starting to clear up. "To go as far as to let me take your arm and leg," the demon clenched his teeth, "and to finish it all up by deleting your own data… Just for the chance to kill me completely."

Takeru chuckled lightly as he started fading to gray, "close, but not quite." Daemon's soon fallowed, as their bodies began to over lay with static.

Daemon felt the creep of the dark ocean overcome him once again. Why was this boy trying so hard just to drag him away? He talked about still having power, but could that have just been a bluff as well? He wouldn't be dragged along with the boy. He focused and the boy on his arm quickly lit aflame.

The others watched as gray fire encompassed Takeru's frame. No matter how hot those flames looked to be, they couldn't seem the dim the light from his eyes. His grip must have tightened, because Daemon released a cry of pain.

The Demon Lord brought up his free hand and started to push against the boy who gripped his soul. He pushed back with all of his might, as he tried to free himself from the painful grasp. With one final shove he managed to dislodge the boy's hand from his chest, but the damage had already been done.

Takeru's had managed to scar Daemon's digicore. The others watched as their friend was flung back towards them. The last thing they saw was a sharp smile as he burned away into data. His broken data had been completely sent to the dark world.

Daemon also burst into flames. All of the power he had gained decided it's only escape was to burn away. As soon as the flames died down, Daemon was left standing their in his base form. The Demon Lord stared down at his hands in shock. How could all of that power not have been enough? How did that brat manage to constantly cheat him, even in death?

Ever since he had escaped form the dark world, that child had managed to cut him off at every turn. If he hadn't gotten control of those dark beings, he might not have been able to come to the real world at all. Even so, his plans still fell apart. Why did the dead always have to get in his way? Why couldn't either of those dragons and the boy learn how to stay dead?

The children watched as Daemon mumbled his thoughts aloud to himself. They weren't sure of what was going on, but fear draped over them as the demon turned to face them with crazed eyes. He gaze was dead set on Ken. On the digivice that was still shining in the boy's hands.

"YOU…" Daemon hissed. The ground around the demonic digimon, erupted in gray flames, "I can still get _you_!" The flames grew in size until they completely covered the Demon Lord. "As long as I can have your dark spore, my dreams of domination will not die!" his yell could be heard over the roaring fire.

Ken watched as the demon rushed from within the flames. The others flinched at the sight of the fiery demon, but Ken calmly exhaled. The light of his digivice died down as Daemon passed through the group.

"Takaishi's plan was extremely risky," Ken turned and looked Daemon straight in his eyes, "but he managed to pull it off anyway. If he can go that far, then I should at least be able to do my job as well."

Daemon was speechless. He had heard the kids talking about their plan to seal him in the dark world. He never expected it to work, but even though it did, the Ichijouji boy was his way out. Other than himself and the blond, he was the closest one to the dark world. Even if he was trapped, he could at least try to drag the boy in with him.

The Demon Lord let his situation sink in. There was no hope for him any longer. He hadn't expected to the boy to be able to close his heart off from the world of darkness. The other one casting the seal had also died. If both parties creating the seal could distance themselves from it, no one would be able to set him free again.

The children watched Daemon slump onto the ground in defeat. His body sagged as he finally gave up. They watched his defeated from slowly fade away into the world of darkness. Daemon had been defeated once and for all, but at what cost? Not only Daemon and Angemon, but Takeru Takaishi had also disappeared from their lives. The chosen children were speechless as the stars looked down on them from above.

 **An: So… that happened. It's wired because all I wanted to do was to shorten the chapter and yet I felt it necessary to change the ending. I don't really know how to feel about it. I don't feel like my chapter is any shorter either but that can't be helped. I went though the worth to two episodes and that can really add up.**

 **Something else that was changed was the reason Daemon had the upper hand in the last fight. I realized that Takeru being tiered out or even his body breaking down wouldn't bee enough. So I turned that whole scene into a larger plan to pay off at the end of the battle.**

 **Now that all that story stuff is out of the way, let's talk about how the original Adventure series treats darkness. In the first to series, darkness was the manifestation of negative feelings. Sadness, anger, envy, etc… In the first series they tried to run it back near the end by saying that, e.g., dark digivioling is natural but wasn't the thing that was needed to happen. 02 says that darkness is something that can't be destroyed but in the end it's a bad thing that should always be stopped. The first two series try to throw in some gray, like BlackWarGreymon, but in the end it's morality is pretty black and white.**

 **Thinking like that is limited, so that's why most stories try not to paint darkness as something purely negative. Frontier is a good example of Digimon trying that, and also… sort of messing it up at the end.**

 **Personally, I'm more of a fan of Tamers and Savers type of ambiguous morals, but I still want that use of light and darkness as well. It's something that I don't think I'll be able to express well within this story, but I want to at least give it a small try. That was the only reason I made the older children give their energy to the bracelet. I can't _just_ have Takeru be the only one to use darkness for the grater good.**

 **That scene was also to give more clarity on Takeru's character. This was the first time I could truly show both his anger and joy within one scene. I wanted to show that Takeru knows what both his darkness and light is and that he can use both to overcome his challenges.**

 **Once again I hope you've enjoyed this extra long chapter like all the others. Like always, tell me what you've thoughts on the story so far. Normally I'd give you a preview on what's happening next but… Look forward to both Gennai and BlackWarGreymon showing up. Neither the show or this story are over yet.**


	9. Neither Light or Darkness

**Chapter 9:**

 **Neither Light or Darkness**

"HOW COULD YOU?!" a woman's voice shrieked throughout the apartment building. "HOW COULD YOU JUST WATCH HIM DIE WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING?"

The young girl being berated by the woman could only stare at the ground in front of her. She didn't have the strength to look into the woman's tear stained eyes. She could only bite into her bottom lip, to try and keep her own tears from falling as well.

"He promised me that he'd be alright…" The woman sobbed into her hands. "That all of you would look after each other… But now he's gone… forever." The woman fell to her knees.

The girl couldn't help but stare at the mother that had fallen into view. She couldn't keep biting her lip any longer, and it wasn't just because she started to taste iron. She swallowed the metallic tasting fluid and gathered her courage. She reached her hand out to the distraught mother before her.

The girl was just about to touch the mother before the woman's lips released a whisper, "and it's all your fault…" The girl's hand froze like ice. The mother kept sobbing those same words, "it's all your fault." They grew louder with each completion. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"

Each word echoed throughout the girl's body. Each one struck through the girl's heart.

Each word would flash with a scene from that horrible night. She grabbed her head in agony, but the echo continued. She closed her eyes but the images still flashed. She yelled out, but her voice wouldn't come.

The girl finally tried opening her eyes again, only to finder her sight leveled with the yelling woman. Had she too, collapsed in despair? No… Unlike the sobbing mother, she was sinking into the floor as if it was quicksand. Even if she didn't have her voice, she couldn't help but try to yell.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing that would could be mouthed the voiceless girl's lips. She repeated it again, and again, as she sunk deeper and deeper. She was quickly swallowed up by the ground beneath; still apologizing.

Even in darkness, the girl kept shouting out her apology. She only stopped when she felt something brush against her face. Her eyes snapped open. She was no longer outside but in her familiar bedroom. It took her only another second to notice that the only woman calling out to her was her own mother. She slowly sat up and tried to gather herself.

"Hikari, are you alright?" The girl's mother asked. "You were yelling out in your sleep. You're even crying. Poor thing, you must have been having a terrible nightmare."

Hikari blankly looked down at her mother as the tears slowly stopped falling. Her haggard breaths were interrupted by the touch that had awoken her. She looked down to find Tailmon pressed against her. Her partner held the same look of worry as her mother.

Hikari wanted to tell the both of them that she would be alright, but just like in her dream, her words wouldn't come. Only a strained sound could be released from her throat.

"You might have strained your voice from yelling in your sleep. I'll go get you something to drink. Tailmon, keep looking after Hikari and make sure that she doesn't go back to sleep yet." With that, The girl's mother left the room.

Hikari looked down at her partner with tired eyes. She was still a bit sleepy but she didn't plan on going back to her dreams. She lazily stroked the cat like digimon in her lap, while her mind raced. She couldn't help but remember her horrible nightmare.

Her dream was completely different from what had actually happened at that apartment building. She had gone to Yamato's mother just the other day to pick up the addresses of the children that had been kidnapped. She had gone by herself, while the others went to get information on the kidnapper, Oikawa.

The brunette had expected not to be welcomed by the woman, but she was greeted kindly. She was even invited in to talk for a bit, over some tea. Ms. Takaishi asked how the other children were holding up with the bad news. The girl told her how the older children blamed themselves for what had happened to her son.

Back then, Hikari couldn't even bring the cup to her mouth. She was doing her best to avoid eye contact. She could empathize with the older chosen. She felt that if she had done more, things wouldn't have ended up as they had.

Ms. Takaishi had even asked about the information that Ken had told everyone the night of the incident. The boy had told them of what was whispered to him. All he could tell them was that everything would be okay and not to give up on hope.

Each of the children took the news with their own amounts of salt. Most took to the news well, while a few stayed skeptical. Ms. Takaishi had told her that she would do as told, and not give up on her son.

Hikari didn't have the same conviction. During their fight with Daemon, she had lost that original connection she had felt from the boy just earlier that day. She knew that the two of them didn't share some silly telepathic bond. She was only feeling the different digital souls that resided inside of his body. She was worried when that feeling vanished along with the second pillar of light but then he showed up in front of her and everyone else.

When everyone had thought he had died the first time, it was those feelings that kept her composed, even if she didn't like what they could mean for the boy in the long run. But the second time…

With him, and that feeling gone, she couldn't completely believe that he was alright. A small part her did. A large part wanted to believe completely. However most of all, she just couldn't shake off the fear of losing her friend forever.

Hikari shook her own worries aside and remembered the other reason she had made her visit. She had wanted to give Angemon's bracelet to Ms. Takaishi. She didn't think it was fair for her to hold onto the last thing the boy had left behind.

Ms. Takaishi on the other hand, had refused the item. She had told Hikari that her son had given it to the girl for a reason. If her son had wanted herself to have it, he would have said so. She had told Hikari to make sure to give it back to him while giving the girl the same light smile that her son occasionally wore.

Hikari was overwhelmed by the woman's kindness and silently cried. Even after the night she had gotten the bracelet, this was the first time she had wept for the boy. She couldn't help but quietly mumble, "sorry," into her cup. For better or worse, she was finally able to let all of her feelings out.

Hikari snapped back into the present as soon as her mother held up a cup of tea for her.

"The caffeine should wake you up and put a bit of pep in your step." Her mother smiled at her.

Hikari gave her mother a small smile as she took the cup. She slowly sipped at the warm beverage. She let the aroma flow through her nose and spread to the rest of her body before she swallowed her first sip.

"Thanks, mom," Hikari took another sip.

"No problem, sweetie." Her mother started making her way to the door, "I can't do a lot for all of you kids like the other parents, but I'm all ears for your problems. Just tell me if you want to talk."

"I will," Hikari answered quietly. He mother left the room, and only her and Tailmon were left to rest.

"Are you really alright?" Tailmon prodded.

Hikari stared at her cup, "…no." She took a big gulp, "but I can't let that get in the way of stopping Oikawa."

Tailmon didn't like hearing that. "You can't just push yourself like that. You haven't been sleeping well since we fought Daemon."

"Everyone else is out there doing something. I'm not going to be the only one to sleep in on the job."

Tailmon couldn't help but hold her tongue. Hikari could be unexpectedly stubborn without others noticing. She however, could tell when Hikari was acting that way. Sometimes it brought about something good but at the same time it also worried her. "You don't have to push yourself like this."

"I'm not pushing myself," Hikari explained while getting down from her bed. She picked up her D-terminal to check the time. She then rushed out of the room and into the bathroom.

It was already past noon and she wasn't even ready for the day. She had received a handful of e-mails asking about her. The only reason they stopped was because her brother told the group to let her rest for the day.

The girl quickly got herself together and was just about to head out of her apartment before she realized she forgot something in her haste. Hikari doubled back to her room and picked up Angemon's bracelet from her desk. Because Takeru had changed it's size, she too could easily wear the golden charm around her wrist.

The brunette quickly made her way into the frosty winter air. She wasn't in any particular rush but she felt like she had to make up for lost time. Everyone's response to her brother had been accommodating and it rubbed her the wrong way. She didn't want to feel like she was letting the team down.

After walking for a while, Hikari and Tailmon decided that meeting up with Miyako would be the best choice. Her and Hawkmon were the ones to keep tabs on everyone else. The two were about to pick up their pace until they heard a familiar beep.

The girl pulled out her D-terminal to read the new message. The two of them stopped dead in their tracks as they read and reread the e-mail. BlackWarGreymon had shown up to face Oikawa. That mail was sent out to everyone but it was most likely meant for her brother and Agumon. The two then broke out into a sprint to the location given. They had no idea of why BlackWarGreymon would show back up after being defeated. They just hopped that they would get there before something bad happened.

The pair ran as fast as they could and were beginning to hear yelling. Hikari and Tailmon both looked closer ahead and could spot a dark purple aura coming from in between some buildings. They had no idea of what it could be so they deiced to cut through the area.

As they made their way trough the tight space, they could make out both Paildramon and WarGreymon. There was a light mist along the ground but they could also make out the rest of their friends. The only odd thing was that BlackWarGreymon was down on his knees. The closer the two looked, the clearer the hole in BlackWarGreymon's chest appeared. Who could have done that to a digimon as powerful him? Their eyes then shifted to the one holding the menacing purple aura, Oikawa. Had he used that aura to defeat BlackWarGreymon? What was going on?

Hikari watched as the large man started another attack. His only hindrance was a blue cross that cut through the fog and ground in front of him. Her eyes fallowed the crosses' trajectory, and she was met with a metallic, silver and blue angel.

"I must ask you to halt your attack," spoke the floating metallic angel.

"…SlashAngemon…" WarGreymon whispered. The dragon-man had thought the angel had died, but remembering deeper, that wasn't the case. SlashAngemon's data hadn't been destroyed in Paris; he faded away from the real world. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, we meet again, digimon of courage." SlashAngemon greeted. "I was given orders to make sure that he didn't leave the area," his blade pointed at the wounded BlackWarGreymon. "Dying would be the same as leaving, would it not?"

Hikari was slightly in awe of the metallic angel. She had no idea what was going on, but it seemed like he was on their side. He didn't appear to be hostile, but why did he want BlackWarGreymon? Who was he working for?

"What do the Harmonious Ones want with BlackWarGreymon?" The orange dragon-man asked.

"Nothing," a jovial voice laughed.

Hikari instantly recognized who was speaking. The golden bracelet around her wrist started to glow and jiggle on her wrist. Her eyes were instinctively drawn to the light and movement of the trinket, that it caused her to catch a glimpse of the digital gate opening beside her.

Out of the gate walked the boy who had been missing for only a few days, yet to her, it felt as if it had been months. The air around him seemed to have changed again. The only visible change was that his cloak draped further around him. Only a single open space was left before it would fully cover him.

She watched as the boy swiftly made his way over to BlackWarGreymon. He examined the fallen dark dragon-man with only his right eye open. Hikari wondered if his left one was still broken up like it was before. He seemed to be walking on two legs but with the way his cloak hid his body along with the thickening mist, she couldn't be sure.

BlackWarGreymon was as shocked as everyone else to see the boy. What surprises would he bring this time? Not that it mattered, with his currently pitiful state.

"So it seems you're still alive, huh?" Oikawa caught everyone's attention. "I hear you go by the title, 'the prince of balance,' but 'prince of darkness,' would suite you better, wouldn't it? I assume you want to stop me as well."

The cloaked blond slightly turned his closed eye towards him with a quizzical expression. He then went back to looking over BlackWarGreymon's wound.

Oikawa glared at the boy. How could he just brush him off like some worthless piece of trash? He wasn't worthless, or weak anymore. He had shown BlackWarGreymon what happens when people underestimated him. Now it was the boy's turn.

Hikari and the digimon gasped at the dark shadow that enveloped Oikawa once again. They watched as he once again shot out dark energy. They were about to shout for the others to move but it was too late. The attack had hit it's mark. Thankfully the boy and everyone around him were unfazed.

Like Oikawa, the blond was also cloaked in a dark shadow. It was much smaller but it perfectly shielded against Oikawa's attack. However, unlike Oikawa's, his was visible to even to the chosen. They all could see a dark orange aura cling closely to his body.

"Okay," The boy spoke, "how about we patch this up, and you can tell me what's going on."

As everyone watched the boy fill in BlackWarGreymon's missing data, the children and dragon-men shared their information. The boy was filled in on the dark spored children and how Oikawa was related. In turn the children also found out about how he was still alive.

"Well it's not like that was the first time, my body was broken into data, right WarGreymon, Tailmon, Hikari?" The boy looked over the three he had just called out. "I just had to make sure to get to the dark world in time. After that, I just needed to pull myself together. Luckily while I was there, I could meet up with SlashAngemon and persuade him to work with me."

"And that's why you're here for me." BlackWarGreymon finished.

"Aren't you sharp," The blond smirked.

"Wait, why are you working together with him?" WarGreymon asked SlashAngemon. "I thought you were ordered to kill him."

The metal angel looked down to the blond boy; his eyes hidden behind his black visor. "After my defeat and banishment to the dark world, I thought long and hard about what I was truly fighting for. While I can't say that I completely disagree with my past orders, this boy was able to show me his own justice. Not just through our fight, but also through the ones who work for, and believe in him. While he may have been the one who sent me to that horribly dark place, he came back to let me free. I was free to go back to the Harmonious Ones, but I decided to see what this boy's beliefs could bring about."

So that's why those two Tailmon sisters went to the dark world. They were looking for SlashAngemon. WarGreymon wondered how far ahead the boy was planing things out. He couldn't have known about SlashAngemon coming to attack him back in Paris, could he?

"So…" the boy regained the black dragon-man's attention, "will you fallow me? I can't promise you a lot of fighting, but there's going to at least be one that goes beyond your imagination."

BlackWarGreymon was still trying to comprehend all the information that had been shared. His only mission in coming here was to stop Oikawa from having his way with the digital world. He wasn't particularly interested in what the human was doing with other children. Even so, when his _friends…_ didn't want to him to do the man any harm, he tried going about it their way. There were plenty of reasons, but it hadn't gone well. He wasn't even able to interject about the fact that Oikawa was being manipulated by something within.

"Boy," BlackWarGreymon started, "I'll work with you. The only condition is that you have to stop that man for getting into the digital world. I don't know what's controlling him, but he seems to give off the same kind of aura that you do. I think he's possessed by a dark force. I need you to remove whatever that's inside of him."

The blond gave the dark digimon an annoyed look, "I'm not possessed." He then turned and gave Oikawa a good stare down. The shadow that surrounded the man started to take a familiar shape. The more he stared the sharper his glare became. "I don't believe this," he whispered. "Fine, I'll see what I can do," frustration could be heard within his sigh. He slowly made his way to where Oikawa was standing.

Everyone had over heard the quick agreement. Only the digimon and Hikari could perceive the dark shadow that the two had spoken about, but they didn't think Oikawa was being controlled. They thought it had came from the dark flower he had absorbed.

Being late, Hikari had to put all of the pieces in place for herself. She had caught up with everything except for the possession part. She strained her eyes to see if the shadow around Oikawa would change, and it did, but not enough to make out something distinguishable. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to defeat BlackWarGreymon with his guard down. She just hoped they would be able to beat it without harming Oikawa. They still needed him to remove the dark spores.

"Humph, I hope you don't think you can beat me," Oikawa boasted. "You couldn't even defeat Daemon. You should just go back to that lonely dark world, along with him." Oikawa once again released a wave of darkness. This had been his largest attack yet.

The boy released another dull sigh, "foolishness." As the darkness came into contact, his body lit up in flames. A pillar of fire erupted into the sky and burned away any darkness that tried to hinder the boy's progress. The flames dispersed as soon as they had came, and they revealed that his cloak was now orange with a red trim. His red iris was complemented by an accompanying orange within his right eye. "I've already defeated Daemon; his power is already mine."

Oikawa was at a lost for words. The blond was soon upon him and he couldn't move. He had been frozen in place ever since the hooded boy had shown up. While the boy acted like he wasn't worth his time, he could feel himself being watched the entire time while he fixed BlackWarGreymon. His first attack had been to see if he could find a way to escape but it had clearly failed. With his last attack also having been unsuccessful, he didn't know what to do.

He never found his answer in time. Within a blink of an eye, the boy was already less than a step away, but the boy's left hand was already closer than that. He could feel intense heat burn though his thick coat. As soon as he felt the boy's fiery touch on his skin, he knew that it was already his loss.

That loss however didn't come. At least, not how Oikawa expected. The boy's hand had turned cold. His face carried a puzzled look as if he didn't know what to do next. He did however, have enough mind to keep his hold on the man's coat.

"Sorry, BlackWarGreymon," the blond yelled without looking away. He was planning to yank out a digital core, but he couldn't grab something that wasn't there. "I don't think I can destroy what's inside of him. Do you have any other requests?"

The black dragon-man was shocked. If the boy wasn't able to reach what was possessing the man, then likely no one else would be able to either. If killing Oikawa was the only way… "Take his life, boy. Whatever that is inside of him can't be allowed exist, let alone enter the digital world."

The entire area when quiet. The cloaked boy was willing to kill digimon, but he wouldn't do the same to a human, right?

"TAKERU!" Hikari had yelled out the blond's name. She didn't know what she wanted to get across to the boy, but her voice came out on it's own.

It was only for a moment but the boy did turn her way. It was slight, but she caught a glimpse of his left eye. She couldn't feel the same intent to kill form a few days ago, but something else lingered within his eye. In only a moment, the boy's hand to heated up once again, ready to pierce through Oikawa's body.

Hikari watched as Takeru leaned in, ready to give Oikawa a thrust of his flaming palm. Just as he was about to reach the climax of his motion, the blond suddenly jumped back. It seems he was quicker than her at noticing that someone else had entered the fight. That someone else, carried a sword that would have cut off the boys arm if he had kept going. She didn't know what would have happened if Takeru had been able to fallow through with his attack. Would he have really killed Oikawa? Even so, killing the man apparently wasn't worth the boy's other arm.

Hikari watched the newest participant with wonder. His hooded robe covered his face but she definitely knew who it was. What would _he_ be able to do in this tense situation?

"What are _you_ doing here, Gennai?" Takeru cooled down.

The digital man lowered his hood, "I'm just here to tie up some loose ends."

The blond gave Gennai a dull stare, "well if that's the case, then it seems like I'm not needed here any longer." Takeru turned around towards BlackWarGreymon, "it seems like I couldn't hold up my end of the bargain. Even if you don't come with me, I'll give you a lift back to the digital world free of charge." Takeru couldn't hide his embarrassment at all.

BlackWarGreymon didn't know what to say. The boy still left his offer open, but he himself had came here with a mission. "Can this, Gennai, handle that man?" He knew that he and the boy weren't able to answer the other children's request, but he wanted to make sure the job could be finished.

"No idea, but I know that I can't do it, so why not leave it to him. I mean, if I was able to fallow through on my attack I might have gotten to what was inside of him."

"Then why did he-"

"Because that might have also killed him? It's like his whole body is a digicore. I could try pulling it out but…" Takeru let the others figure out the meaning for themselves. "If it worked, good for him and everyone else. If not, well… I can't say I'd feel too bad over the risk. Either way, I couldn't care less whether he lives or not, it's not like he's a risk to me."

That man held a darkness that even acceded his own, but the boy wasn't worried in the least. The dark warrior was impressed with the boy's own power, so he could believe in his words. "Fine, if you will allow it, I'll join you in your endeavors." He wasn't able to fulfill the other chosen children's wishes, but the boy wanted him for something that only he could do. He could only hope that the other children and Gennai could handle their own problems.

Hikari was stunned at the boy's apathy. Was he really just going to leave like that? Without really talking to any of them? Without taking back his bracelet? Without even going to see his own mother? All of her worry and anguish was turning into frustration and anger. She would have ran over to him if the boy hadn't been stopped in his tracks once again.

"What do _you_ think you're doing, Gennai?" Takeru asked with a doubled edged blade resting to the side of his face.

"I told you that I'm tying up loose ends," the man explained seriously.

Everyone watched as Takeru turned around to face the digital man. There attention was then stolen by Oikawa who had finally managed to run off an escape. He yelled about his plans coming to an end, and that the digital world would be filled with the darkness of his heart.

"After hearing all of that, you still want to only stop me?" Takeru pondered. He watched as the sword next to him trembled. "Or maybe it's because you can't stop him either?" The boy grinned at the impending irony.

"You're the larger threat right now," Gennai whispered.

"I don't know about that," Takeru brought up his hands. "It sounds like he's about to make his last move. I still have more preparation to do." Gennai's glare managed to return to his face. "But hey, if you would rather try and stop me instead, go right ahead. Just understand that this failure might result in death."

That was the signal of battle, but Gennai was to late to notice. Takeru once again burst into flames. The man quickly backed away from the burning child. He could only try to shield himself from the intense fire that seemed even brighter than before. How could he have not noticed the boy's attack?

Gennai's only way of finding Takeru had been because of the boy's use of Daemon's power. Once the boy acquired that large, dark power, he could track him just like the other holy beasts. Qinglongmon sent him on a quest to fined the boy and decide if he needed to be taken out or not.

It was not long after that he lost track of the boy, but he still kept up his search. It was only when Takeru appeared in front of Oikawa, that he was able to find the boy again. That was also when he judged the boy for risking the man's life. Even if the intent to kill wasn't there; if he was willing to let another human die without even batting an eye, the boy must not be in as much control as he thinks he is. Still, he didn't want to make a mistake he would come to regret.

"Takeru, what are you really planing on doing?" Gennai yelled.

Takeru's flames quickly died down, "you should already know, shouldn't you? Or is it that you still have no idea who's in control." Takeru could only release a tired sigh, "I keep telling you all that I'm not possessed."

"I don't want to hear that from someone who also plans to spread darkness around the digital world."

"My ego's not that inflated," Takeru grinned.

"Then, what? You can't tell me you're going to call forth some sort of, twisted light." Could the clashing souls, somehow perverted the boy's high morals? Was that how he managed to get the other holy beasts to work together with him? He promised them a world of peace through destruction?

"I'm not that shallow either," the boy's face became unamused. "Tell me Gennai, why does it always have to comeback to light and darkness? Isn't that a too dull?"

"So you're going to destroy the digital world just because you can?" If that was the case, then the dragon of destruction had gained control of the boy's mind. Needlessly destroying just because it could.

"I'm going to destroy it _because_ of that dull, light and darkness."

Once again, the boy had shocked his companions. How could he say something so drastic?

"I don't believe in the fragile light that the digital world clings to so desperately. Nor do I believe in the inflated darkness that tries to snuff that light out."

"I see," Gennai grimly accepted the boy's worlds. "Oikawa was right, 'prince of darkness' would have suited you better." He had heard all that he needed. Controlled or not, there was no way of getting this boy to change his mind. He gripped his sword with both hands and prepared himself to fight, and too kill.

The look in Takeru's eye had taken on a more irritated look. It was as if, his condescending nature had been burned away. "So you really do plan on taking my life," he glowered. His right shoulder rolled beneath his cloak, "then you better come and get it."

Gennai rushed with his sword over head. The person who had helped the first generation so much in their first adventure was now attacking one. There friend had openly admitted to planing to destroy the digital world. In their eyes, both were in the wrong and no one could find the courage to move.

Then it was too late. The digital man swung down with all of his might to split the boy. His sword was about to make contact when he noticed the boy move his arms from underneath his cloak. Even if he defended himself, Gennai would cut the boy down limb by limb if he had to. He fallowed through only to hear a fallowing metallic clang.

Hikari watched as Gennai landed into a crouched position. The look of shock on his face matched her own, but she knew that his was for different reasons. She could tell that Gennai was surprised about his broken blade, but what got her, was Takeru's arm, specifically his right one.

The blond had slashed through the incoming blade with his perfectly intact, right arm. If she hadn't seen it torn off before, she wouldn't have believed that it had been lost in the first place. His naked right arms looked perfectly fine. That also wasn't the only body part that seemed to have reappeared.

Gennai looked at his broken sword carefully. His blade hadn't been cut through or even snapped. It had melted from the extreme heat the boy's hand had given off. The digital protector looked up to find another surprise.

Takeru's left eye looked completely healed and it was completely red. Not just the iris but the pupils and scale. His cloak had also changed. Half of it's leaves, changed to the color red with a yellow trim. No two leaves that touched were the same.

Gennai could only gnash his teeth together at the revelation, "when…?"

Takeru looked down at the defeated man, "that's right, you've been looking for me, so you wouldn't know." His eyes were smoldering, "I defeated Zhuqiaomon just yesterday." The binding on his left hand glowed just a bit at the name of the one it formerly belonged to. He grabbed at Gennai with the same hand. "Well, Zhuqiaomon or not, you wouldn't have been enough to defeat me."

Iori and the others watched as Takeru, threw Gennai into their direction. WarGreymon was about to go and catch him before a fireball hit the man. Everyone watched as the chard digital protector fell into the mist ridden ground.

The orange dragon-man gathered himself to try and make to the fallen man again. This time however, he was stopped by a transparent, golden pyramid that covered the man.

"He shouldn't be able to break out of that before I leave." He turned to BlackWarGreymon once more, "do you still plan on coming with me?"

The dark dragon-man looked stared down at the boy, "did you ever plan on telling me you're true objective?"

"Once we got to the digital world."

BlackWarGreymon kept staring into the boy's eyes, "I'm sure that there's more to it than just destruction. I'll at least come along to hear you out. If I don't like it, I can at least expect you to put up a decent fight."

As soft look crossed the boy's face,"thank you." SlashAngemon landed next to BlackWarGreymon and both looked on as the boy turned away and opened up a digital gate. "Well then, let's get going."

"Stop!" a voice cried out.

Everyone turned to find Taichi walking in from behind his sister.

"You're not just going to leave, without explaining anything, Takeru," Taichi spoke. "I saw the whole thing with Gennai. While I don't like what Gennai did, you did say that you would destroy the whole digital world. I agree with BlackWarGreymon; there must be a deeper reason for all for all of this, so just tell us."

The blond just glanced back at his once leader. He turned back around to the digital gate and started heading towards it. He was about to set foot in the portal until it turned jet black. He backed off slightly and turned his gaze to the person who was holding up their digivice.

"I want to hear what you have to say as well," Ken brought down his digivice, along with the gate.

"There's nothing more to hear," Takeru finally spoke. "No matter my reasons behind it, would you really let me go off and destroy the digital world?"

"But maybe we can find a better way to accomplish whatever it is you're doing," Iori added. There was no way Takeru could have came to that conclusion easily. Maybe there was something he had missed, and they could help him figure it out.

"There is none," Takeru stated, "besides, you couldn't help even if you wanted to."

"You don't know that for sure," Daisuke interjected. Daisuke didn't believe that there was nothing that could be done. Takeru didn't have the face of a quitter, so why was he saying all of this, end of the world nonsense?

Hikari couldn't seem find her voice once again. She didn't know what to say. All she could do was watch Takeru roll his eyes and look back at the two Mega digimon who had decided to fallow him. The smile that soon graced his lips quickly caught her attention.

"You know what, Daisuke? You're right, I don't know if you all could help. So how about we have a little test to see if any of you can. If all of you can manage to defeat me on my own, we can at least talk some things out."

"What?! You aren't making any sense, Takeru." Miyako exclaimed. Words she knew were constantly being spoken, but each sentence that came out of the boy's mouth sounded foreign. Not matte what, she didn't want to fighter her friends.

"What I'm trying to do requires a certain amount of fortitude. Your mind and will have to be flexible and strong. You need to be able to effect both the light and the darkness." The braces that the boy wore started to shine as he spoke. It was as if they were demonstrating what _kind_ of power was expected from those who could help.

"Even if none of you are capable of helping me, this little exercise should be enough to put you all in your place. You'll let go of foolish ideas, like trying to talk your enemy down. I mean, it's not like that's ever worked for you guys, look at Oikawa." The blond's smirk just grew winder.

"You must be cracked in the head, Takeru." Daisuke might get a little too rough from time to time but he didn't intentionally want to fight his friends. In fact, that was something he could never willingly bring himself to do.

"Don't just blow me off like that~ It's your own fault that things have come to this."

The others could only stare on in anxiety.

"I mean, you could have just let me leave." The smirk never left his face.

Taichi had reached the end of his patience. If the boy wanted a fight then he would give it to him. He rushed out to the blond, planing to stop him himself.

WarGreymon yelled for his partner to stop. He didn't want what had just happened to Gennai to happen to Taichi as well. But once again, the orange dragon-man was too slow.

Taichi stopped dead in his tracks and bent over. The feeling of vomiting quickly overcame him as he looked down at what had just struck him. Takeru's left foot was firmly planted underneath his ribcage. He then scanned upward to find the boy still grinning at him. His cloak had become a dull beige and his eyes a familiar blue.

"You guys shouldn't worry; I'm not heartless," Takeru pulled his leg back to let Taichi fall to the ground. "There's no way I would use those ridiculous powers on you. That wouldn't be fair. That being said, if your digimon want to join, I can't afford to hold back on _them_."

"Your eye…" Taichi managed to gasp. He was referring to the boy's left eye. It looked cloudy, hazy, and a little unfocused.

The blond humorously sighed, "well I couldn't bring everything back perfectly. Unless I'm putting some power into it, it's permanently damaged."

Taichi was soon placed in a transparent golden pyramid like Gennai had been. WarGreymon immediately dedigivolved back to Agumon who ran up to his trapped partner.

"Even until the end, you're a courageous leader." Takeru lamented. "It's a shame that the holy beasts didn't act sooner in giving you the ability to fight." He turned his attention to the others. "Next," it was no longer the time for questions.

"You really plan on fighting all of us?" Iori gripped his covered shinai.

"Is that your signal to start?" Takeru dashed out at his DNA partner. The blond reached his hand out to finish things in one swift motion. He was just inches away before he felt himself being lifted off the ground. Faster than the blink of his eye, he was staring up at the sky and his back was in great pain. The wind had been knocked out of him.

Iori turned to his right to find Ken glaring down at the blond. He was surprised that the dark haired boy had come to his aid. Ken had made a clean side throw and flipped Takeru. He remember that the boy wasn't only good at just soccer and studying when he was the Kaiser.

"You really want to fight us." Ken whispered.

"Quit repeating what's already been said. You all keep talking about helping others without any clue on how to do it," Takeru looked up. "You run in to an enemy that you can't fight normally and you all fall apart," he slowly got to his feet and dusted himself off. "Finally you run into a friend," he flicked his thumb at himself, "and you hardly take him seriously when he's trying to attack you."

"But I don't get it?" Miyako distressed. "Why destroy both light and darkness?"

"Because the light and darkness that the digital world clings to are worthless," the blond looked over. "What's the point of a light that can't protect, and a darkness that can't overcome?"

"But that, 'light,' is something precious, isn't it?" Miyako asked squeezing the tears out of her eyes. "It's the love and friendship that we share with each other."

"Then what about our, 'darkness?'"

Mikayo opened her eyes to find Takeru right in front of her. She watched him reach out his hand and fell back in terror. She shut her eyes and braced for the pain to come, but she only felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"You really are the type to give your all at only one thing," the blond said from beside the girl. "You easily lose focus on the other things around. Well, at least when you're that focused, you do that one thing very well." The boy quickly got to his feet and placed Miyako in her own pyramid barrier.

Ken was starting to get even more nervous. Takeru has said that he'd be fighting normally but he didn't even notice when the boy had moved over to Miyako. His attention had only be taken for a second, but that was enough for him to make a good amount of distance.

"Daisuke!" the dark haired boy cried out, "we need to digivolve Paildramon." Ken didn't dare take his eyes off of Takeru, but Daisuke hadn't answered back. "Daisuke?" The only answer than came was Leafmon, flying into his hands. He jerked his head back to his DNA partner in utter confusion. What had happened? "…Daisuke?"

The you goggled boy looked down at Chikomon who was staring back at him from his hands. "…I cant."

"But Daisuke…" Iori didn't even know what to say to boy who had always gone into any situation head first.

"How can I fight Takeru?" Daisuke was asking himself more than anyone else. "I know that I get into some fights with him but… not like this." Daisuke rose his head to reveal the absolutely pitiful look on his face. His glistening eyes looked straight into the blonds, "I can't fight you."

The others were completely thrown aback, even Takeru. Even he couldn't have guessed Daisuke to act quite this drastically, at least not on that aspect of his feelings. Takeru slowly made his made to the fragile boy. Ken and Chikomon rushed to intercept him but he stopped both in their tracks when he threw the Fresh digimon into the brunette's face.

Daisuke looked the blond boy in his eyes and didn't know what to do. To him, Takeru's eyes were sharp and piercing.

"I don't know if you're the worse kind of, selfish idiot, or the best." Takeru assessed the goggled boy. He flicked Daisuke's forehead and he too was placed in a golden pyramid. "Your pigheadedness is your strong point, so try not to think so much the next time something bad happens."

Ken was at the end of his rope. He and Iori were pretty much the only ones left to fight off, their friend. From the looks of things, the only digimon who seemed to be able to fight would be Tailmon, and she was busy keeping Hikari safe. He grit his teeth and turned to Iori and the boy's grandfather.

"Can I ask you to look after them," he gave them both Chikomon and Leafmon.

"Wait Ken, we should at least both go." Iori objected to the boy implying that he would go it alone. He was stopped by the grip of his grandfather's hand.

"No Iori, he should go alone," the old man advised. "A haphazard form a teamwork won't help you two. Both of your martial arts are too different, and to fight together with someone as a team take's time."

"But we've always fought together before," Iori asserted.

"Sorry, but your grandfather's right," Ken removed his scarf. "We aren't digimon; we can't just combine attacks like they can." The dark haired boy turned to the blond with a sharp stare, "besides, this is something I need to do alone."

Ken walked up until he was just about three steps away from the blue eyed boy. He took a fighting stance that looked ready to toss his opponent aside. He needed to focus on his opponent and on himself. Even if it was only a bit, he needed to recall what it was like when he was the Kaiser. Even he wanted to throw up form remembering, he would swallowed the bile back down. If he wanted to defeat Takeru, he had to at least go that far.

"Do you remember what you told me the last time we fought?" Ken asked. Takeru's eyes perked up. "You said that I didn't understand the darkness," a dark violet shadow surrounded Ken. "Did you?"

Takeru smirked at the boy's feelings pouring out of him. "More than you," Takeru boasted, "but no, not completely."

It was Ken's turn to see a deep yellow shadow surround Takeru, "and now?"

"I'd have to say that we're both closer than ever before," The blond smirked.

"On the day I was defeated as the Kaiser, you told me that if I ever relapsed, you would take responsibility."

"So I can expect you to do the same?"

Even when wallowing in his own regrets and guilt, Ken managed to crack a smile, "I'll take you down right here, right now."

Both boys rushed through the low mist. Takeru was the first to strike out with his right hand. His fist barely grazed Ken's cheek as the brunette rolled under it and into the blond's chest with his back. Ken rose up and collided the top of his head with Takeru's jaw. His back pressed into the blond as hard as it could. Ken grabbed the boy's right arm and steadied his legs.

Takeru suddenly felt himself being lifted from the ground again. This time however he was prepared. As soon as he reach the peak of the throw's ark, he struck out once again with his left fist. He got Ken square on the head and the boy let him go. Before he lost his advantage, Takeru made another pyramid barrier that encased Ken. He flipped forward and slid down the pyramid's face on to the ground.

"That was tough," the blond huffed. He had planed to activate the barrier before the throw started, but Kens darkness managed to interfere with the process. He wasn't quite sure how, but there would be time to look into it later. Without a doubt Ken showed the most aptitude in being able to help him. There was only one other person who he thought had the ability to stop him.

Iori's grandfather was amazed at both boys. He didn't know how or why, but the two of them were able to bring out every last bit of their spirit while carrying such heavy eyes. It was one thing to be able to fight for sport, or because you believe what your doing is right, but to fight at your best with a heavy heart deserves it's own praise. He wondered what could have happened for such young boys as them to carry such transparent negativity.

The old man was able to pick up on the atmosphere that the two boys were giving off even if he couldn't see their physical manifestations. It's not like the aura the boys gave off was truly anything special. In fact, it was something all of the children did plenty of times. It was just a different manifestation of the light of their digivices. The first person to have done this trick was still watching the events unfold.

Iori had already took out his shinai. It may have just been a bamboo sword, but it was still his weapon of choice. He watched as Takeru made his way over to him and his Grandfather as Ken banged on his golden cell.

"Iori, don't hold back," the dark haired boy yelled. "Attack him with the intent to seriously stop him, even if he gets hurt."

Iori rose his shinai at the ready but couldn't stop his hands from shaking. The aura around the blond was intimidating and gave off his aggressive intent. He only calmed down when he felt someone touch his shoulder.

"Iori, I may not have any idea of what's going on, but it seems that Takeru doesn't want to hurt any of you who aren't willing to fight back. You have the choice to fight him or not. If you do chose to fight, seriously face him just as he is doing to you. That's why if you do fight, be sure to use a thrust strike."

Iori was easily fallowing his grandfather's words until the end. How could he suggest to attack Takeru's throat. "But grandfather that's dangerous, he could die. I have only just started practicing that." He didn't even want to fight Takeru, but to have been suggested a move that could kill even an armored opponent if mishandled. To someone without a face guard it was almost guaranteed death sentence.

"But Iori that's the only chance you have to stop him. He'll bush aside any other attack you try. Besides, it times like this you should trust you friends. He's holding himself back, can't you do the same?"

Iori absorbed his grandfather's words. He was telling him to not only believe in his ability to use the technique, but Takeru's ability to survive it. He was also telling him that even if the technique was dangerous, that didn't mean it had to be deadly. His bamboo sword steadied as he took his stance. Takeru was sill too far away to make a move. Had he waited for him and his grandfather to finish speaking?

The younger boy watched the blonds movements. They were slow and steady until he suddenly dashed at him. His shinai fallowed the bounce of Takeru's every step. His eyes stared into his. He wouldn't hold back in attacking, just like Ken had asked, but he would also seriously attack to just incapacitate his friend. Whether he stopped Takeru or not would be decided in one decisive strike.

As soon as Takeru had reached the shinai's range, it thrust out. Just like Takeru had done before, he aimed for the solar plexus. It was then that shock overcame him when the blond suddenly leaned forward into his attack. Iori watched as his shinai made contact with the blonds neck. It dug in just a bit before it started moving to the side. He eyes widened in shocked as his weapon brushed along the side of the boy's neck. He didn't know if it was because he lost focus or Takeru simply out maneuvered him, but his attack had completely failed. It was when the blond took his next step that he felt himself being lifted off of the ground. He was flung to his grandfather and the other's who had tired themselves out. A barrier was soon placed around them as well.

"Ow," Takeru croaked as he rubbed his neck. That was the most danger he had been in that day and he couldn't come up with a remark. Iori's grandfather had said enough, so it would be fine to leave the boy as is. He had forced to the into his own little test as well. His visible pain should be enough of a conformation that the young boy's attack was amazing.

The blond turned his attention to last person standing. As he stared into her eyes, he couldn't get a read on what she was thinking, but he would confront her the same way as he had the others.

Tailmon watched as Takeru made his way to both her and Hikari. She had wanted to help the others, but also didn't want to leave Hikari alone. The girl had gone deathly quiet since her brother had been entrapped. She knew the other digimon wouldn't attack Takeru if given the choice. Realistically, she might have been the only one of them willing to fight off the boy. She was just about ready to pounce. He just needed to get a bit closer.

"Tailmon, don't move," a calm voice echoed in the cat's ear. She looked up to find Hikari with a hard scowl. "Takeru wants to deal with me," her face betrayed the calmness of her words. She wondered if her partner had gone mad. The answer Tailmon received was a white light emitting from Hikari. She watched as her partner walked up to the approaching boy.

Takeru watched Hikari closely. He had expected her to act, but didn't think she would have activated her light that quickly. He had no idea of what she would do next. Unlike the others, she seemed to be fallowing her own pace. Would she attack, or would she try talking him out of his plan? The only thing he knew for sure was that she wasn't about to give up.

As the girl got closer, she reached out to him with her right hand. The boy didn't know what to make of the gesture. Her hand slowly crept closer to his face. He still couldn't get a read on her, even when her hand quickly came into contact with is cheek.

Hikari's hand was stinging but she guessed that it wasn't in as much pain as the boy's face. She watched as he brought his hand to his red cheek. His confused eyes locked onto hers. Was he surprised that she actual hit him, or did he not under stand why she was upset? "What do you think you're doing, Takeru?" she asked.

"Well, you guys wouldn't let me leave, so I thought I'd tease you all for a bi-" his sentence was finished by the girl's left hand slapping his other cheek.

The look on the girls face hardened to stone, "if you have time to mess around like this then you should have at least gone to see your mother. I'm sure you know how worried she is right now. You didn't even tell us to let her know that you're alright."

"That's what you're upset about?" The blond mumbled to himself as he rubbed his freshly bruised cheek.

"It's more than that. It's for running off without telling us anything. It's for fighting your friends. If you really wanted to get away from us, then you could have just left. I'm sure you're fast enough to out run us." Hikari was completely speaking her mind. It was her turn to get Takeru talking about what _he_ was feeling. "Why do all of this? Why this way?"

The blond looked over the girl berating him. "I did all of this to prepare for future battles. I did things this way because talking won't solve anything." Hikari lashed out again but he managed to catch her wrist. His own aura was fending off Hikari's light. "I will defeat Qinglongmon," he took her hand into his grip, "I'll awaken the two dragons," he flattened his palm against hers, "and then I'll reshape the digital world."

Hikari could feel Takeru's aura turning darker. His darkness was trying to overtake her light, She kept herself firm against the negative onslaught. She wouldn't let Takeru have his way.

"You really are something special," the boy managed a smile. "You can easily outshine my light and have enough will to overcome my darkness." Takeru couldn't help but marvel at the girl.

"What about that person you made a promise to?" Hikari managed to ask. "Is this what they really want? For you to just change the world by destroying it with that stupid power of yours?"

The boys smile shrunk, but it also softened, "that's exactly right." Hikari suddenly felt that something was off. Takeru wasn't fighting back anymore. She felt absolutely no resistance from him. Before she could speak, she too was soon encased in a pyramid.

Takeru let his fingertips bush against the transparent barrier. "I didn't think that trick would work. Thanks for providing the light to make that barrier."

Hikari's hand was resting against her temporary cage in bewilderment. She couldn't believe that the blond could use her own light against her. With all of her might she started banging on the golden barrier. Takeru had just said something different than, destroying the digital wold. She was getting closer to figuring everything out. She just needed one final push.

Takeru watched as the girl tirelessly banged against her prison. Even Tailmon attacked it's back, in hopes of breaking the girl out. He was just about to back away until he noticed small cracks starting to form. He let out a light chuckle for her being able to breakout so quickly. Could it be because she was the one to supply the light, or was her light truly that fearsome?

The blond looked back at Ken to find that his barrier was also starting to break down. His darkness was no match for Hikari's light, so it made since that he would take a longer time. Well, it was thanks to his interference that he was able to come up with that trick to trap Hikari.

"It's a shame that I can't take you and Ichijouji along with me," Takeru smirked at Hikari. "You two would have been helpful." He finally pulled his hand back. It would be best to leave before one of them broke out. "Bye-bye, Hikari," he waved.

Hikari was still pounding away at the thin piece of energy that was separating her from her friend. She was beginning to shout out again before she choked on her own breath. The golden barrier was suddenly coated in red spots. Takeru's face tensed up in pain. She watched as he turned his head with all of his strength just to glance at the person behind him.

There stood Gennai, who barely emerged from the fog. He kept a tight grip on his broken blade as it impaled the blond in front of him. He had finally managed to break out of his barrier. He wasn't going to waste this moment getting caught, so he hid himself amongst the mist on the ground and waited for his moment to strike.

"Even if you're holding back, you should watch your back, Takeru" Gennai spoke.

The skewered blond managed to give a bloody smile, "you're right." He body started fading away, "one should always watch their back"

Gennai eyes became the size of plates. How had the blond disappeared from right in front of him? Even the blood on his blade had vanished. He couldn't even manage to stand before he felt something at his back. Not even a cry could be released before a hand found it's way through his chest.

"When?" Gennai managed to utter. When had he laid this trap?

"Since I first got here. I've been using the mist's illusion's this entire time. I'll leave how much up to your own imagination."

Gennai cursed himself for not noticing Xuanwumon's technique earlier. "You know not of what you're doing," the digital man croaked. He still tried to persuade the boy with his last breath.

"I'll let you chose," Takeru could no longer stand the man's chatter. "You can either drown in the dark ocean, or I can delete you right here."

"Even with good intentions, you couldn't possible control those dragons."

The boy closed his eyes, "so be it." He twisted his arm and grabbed at the man's face. His body turned pure black before bursting into bits. Takeru slowly stood up as his cloak covered his arms once again. "Let's go," he spoke to SlashAngemon and BlackWarGreymon, "dragons can be impatient." A digital gate opened behind the two monsters. He opened his eyes to the shocked look on Hikari's face. His lips couldn't help but twist into a smirk. "Stay alive so that we can meet again," he turned and made his way through the gate, "at the end of the world."

Hikari watched as the gate closed in front of her, and the barriers vanished along with it. The loss the team suffered slowly set in. Normally the digimon would lose, but this time the defeat was there's alone. Takeru fought with them equally and overcame anyone who had challenged him. She had managed to put up a good fight, but that still wasn't enough to stop him. If only her heart had be stronger, she might have been able to break out of her barrier in time.

The girl looked around to see if the others were doing alright. Daisuke and Miyako were a mess. Miyako was one thing, but she had never seen Daisuke so upset. He had willingly ran away from helping his friend and it was tearing him up inside.

Iori, looked alright. He too was upset but his grandfather was there to calm him down.

Ken was hard to read. Hikari couldn't tell if he was resolute or frustrated… probably both. The boy's eyes were even sharper then when he had fought with the blond. She could feel the darkness swell up just underneath his surface. The next time he met Takeru, he would truly fight back with everything he had.

The girl's attention was quickly captured by her brother. The boy had rushed to her side as quickly as he could. He had overcame the attack to his solar plexus. He looked her over to make sure she was alright but she hardly payed him any attention. Her mind was still stuck on what Takeru could be thinking. She felt like she had missed a clue but couldn't seem to find it. She was going deeper into her mind until he brother's voice shocked her.

"Hikari, did you hear me?" Taichi asked for the third time. He watched as his sister shook her head. "I said we all need to hurry and get home." He got to his feet and helped his sister do the same. "We… we can't waste our time worrying about Takeru." He saw his sister about to object, "we need to focus on Oikawa right now. You heard Takeru, he still needs time to awaken those dragons."

Hikari wanted to fight back. She knew her brother was right, but that didn't change her feelings. She averted her gaze and saw Iori helping up Miyako. She also saw Ken doing the same to Daisuke. She felt something start climbing up her coat. Tailmon had perched herself atop her shoulder and nuzzled their cheeks together.

"Don't worry, Hikari," Tailmon spoke, "we'll stop both Oikawa and Takeru."

The girl mulled over those words in her head, "stop Takeru." Even though it was something she had been trying to do, the way Tailmon spoke them didn't sit right with her. She had just wanted to pin the boy in place so he could explain himself. She hoped that he could have at least visited his family. It was vexing but she relented her desire for finding the blond boy. She wouldn't let him mess up her plans from that morning. She would deal with Oikawa first and then go after him when that was over. She just hopped that she would have the time and the ability to do both.

* * *

The mountains were cold and lifeless. To be fair, that statement could be said about the digital world as a whole at the moment. The ground was a discolored grey to match the contently cloudy sky. A small group of digimon fallowed a boy in a blue and white cloak. Even with abysmal scenery, the group managed to keep a light conversation.

"I can't believe that some digimon think that just because the wold is tearing itself apart, it means that they can do whatever they please." SlashAngemon mused.

"To think that we would be attacked in our sleep," BlackWarGreymon spoke up. "You would think they would know better."

"I'm sure they were just hungry and wanted some of our left over fruit," LadyDevimon defended.

"Why should we let them steal our breakfast?" Angewomon interjected. "They can look for their own food like the rest of us."

"..." The final digimon kept it's mouth shut. It kept in pace with the others at the back of the group.

"Will that one really be alright, Takeru?"

The cloaked leader looked back at his silent, armored companion. "I think they'll be just fine once they get their spirit back," the blond smiled. "They're just resting for now." He turned back, with his fully covered blue cloak with white trim.

"Speaking of spirits, do you think it was wise of you to crush your friend's, yesterday?" asked SlashAngemon.

"Something like that won't slow them down…" Takeru said slightly downcast. "Besides, I'm sure I did more good then harm. If things go bad, I'm counting on them to pick up my slack." The air around the group became silent for only a moment.

"How much longer is it until we reach our destination?" Asked LadyDevimon.

Takeru looked up the mountain,"not much further now, the top's just ahead."

"I can't believe you absorbed Qinglongmon the same day you found BlackWarGreymon." Angewomon laughed. "I mean, that was just yesterday, and now were about to finish our little adventure."

"Our job won't be finished by just climbing this mountain, you know," the boy laughed.

"I hope not," BlackWarGreymon cut in. "You promised me a battle worth my time, boy. I never expected Qinglongmon to just roll over like he did."

"The master didn't have any other choice _but_ to concede to Takeru," SlashAngemon explained. "Would you willingly fight a battle you were guaranteed to lose, or would you put your faith into this boy's hands?"

"..." the silent armor started taking lighter steps.

BlackWarGreymon also kept quiet. They all knew that they had also made the same decision in trusting the boy. The rest of the way they kept up their light banter.

As soon as they all reached the top the group quieted down. They were greeted to the flat mountain top and the thin air that it brought. Their eyes were quickly drawn to the ground and the carvings etched into it.

The carving depicted two dragons. One had many wings and a mask that covered it's eyes. It carried an orb in it's two upper body hands. The other dragon, was a long quadruped. Orbs lined it's spiky backside. The two dragons were carved in a way that they were swirling into each other.

Takeru looked down at the carving as if he was trying to analyze a work of art. In all honesty, it looked more like art than an ancient seal.

"So you're really going to awaken a dragon bent on destroying the digital world?" LadyDevimon shook. "This is kind of scary after all."

"There's nothing to be afraid of sis," Angewomon nudged her sister. "There's a reason Takeru got these two Mega levels."

"That's right," SlashAngemon reassured. "As long as we all fallow the plan, things should work out."

"Even if they don't, I don't plan on losing," BlackWarGreymon asserted. "That goes for all of you as well."

"..." The silent armor stood at attention. The light reflected off it's silver and blue plating.

The blue that contrasted the boy's red iris turned golden, "that's right. This is the beginning of the end so you all better be prepared."

"So who's it going to be, boy?" BlackWarGreymon asked. After the long explanation the boy had given him the other day, he still hadn't said which dragon he would be awakening. In all honesty the boy could achieve his goal without awakening either one. The boy's motives were clear, but what wasn't were the motives of those dragons. The moment either of them awoke form their slumber, their plan could become complicated by over one hundred times. The dragon-man would have been bothered by that fact, but the boy had even taken that outcome in consideration.

Takeru couldn't hide his excitement. It had been a hard journey but it was about to be over. He was finally closing in on the final stage.

"Who is it going to be?" he smirked. "Obviously I'll awaken both at the same time." The boy's eyes shined like never before, "I'll awaken both Huanglongmon and Lucemon." The light that erupted from the carvings were bright, but they still couldn't match the light of delight in the boy's eyes.

 **AN: Finally got another chapter done. This one also changed a lot. The only thing that managed to stick was Gennai's part. I was inspired by a fight from the final episode of Stream. This is also the only time I could have Takeru seem like a true villain so I kind of went all out. That being said I couldn't make him too antagonistic, so keeping true to my interpretation, I had him play off of the others even if he was the main one instigating the fighting.**

 **If there is one thing that bothers me about this story, is that for how long winded it is, all of the events are rushed. To be fair I'm fallowing the anime's time span, but I could still artificially lengthen it. But that wouldn't really make the story any better in my eyes.**

 **As I was writing this chapter and took it in the direction of Takeru fighting the other children, I didn't notice how much of a full circle it would become with Ken. It really reassured me of my character focused writing style. All of those allusions and references to past chapters came out really smoothly for something written on the fly. It also goes to show that a lot of what goes into writing is just revising the stuff you make up off the cuff.**

 **I have no idea what I'm doing with Hikari. I don't feel like I have a full grasp of her character in this story. I don't know what compelled me to bring out more of her character while writing this but I'm still giving it my best.**

 **Then there's Ken. I'm only able to touch on him a bit but I really want to do more with his character. While I think the show handled him poorly, I like the idea that people come away with two completely different interpretations of Ken. There's the super cute, shy Ken who cries all the time. Then there's the super snarky, almost Kaiser-like Ken. With my writing style, you can guess which side I lean towards.**

 **As I'm writing this I only have a few scenes of the ending planed out. I wrote the words, "beginning of the end," mostly because I don't know how many chapters it may take. I'm hoping for one but knowing me that's a bit of a stretch.**

 **Were finally getting close to the end. I don't really know how to feel. I really didn't think this story would take this long but I'm glad I'm about to finish it. I hoped you all have enjoyed this chapter as well and will leave a comment. Next time, everyone will be racing towards the end of a world.**


	10. A Dragon's Pride

**Chapter 10:**

 **A Dragon's Pride**

The sky was darkened by clouds. It was a stark contrast to the bright light that had just washed over both the digital and real world. Digimon and human alike couldn't help but look up to their darkened skies. Both of their worlds had just been saved by that blinding light.

Hikari couldn't help but release a sigh of relief as everyone's celebrating died down. MaloMyotismon might have been defeated, but the digital world was still in a broken state. She hoped that it would be able to sort itself out like it had last time. With all of the fighting being over, she could focus on her own agenda. She would be able to give Takeru her full attention.

The girl was thinking about where to begin her search when she heard Iori raise his voice. She quickly turned around to find him in the dream world with Oikawa. He looked to be trying to help the man get into the digital world. Her and the other chosen quickly ran up to the boy.

Oikawa looked deathly pale and seemed as if he couldn't move any longer. The man could only look longingly to his digimon partner, and the digital world he had so badly wanted to enter.

The only thing that silenced Iori's desperate cries was the voice of an old man. The familiar old man stumbled their way out of the shadows that had found themselves thrown throughout the world. Only the older children looked at the elder with stunned eyes, as everyone else was left to wonder who he could be.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here sooner, children," Gennai apologized. The digital man was quickly bombarded with questions and worrying. "I'm fine, children," the man tried to reassure them. He didn't have time to waste by telling them how he regained his older form. He looked over to Iori and Oikawa, "I hate to say this, but it seems that MaloMyotismon drained most of his life away. He doesn't have much time left… none of us do."

The man was once again flooded with questions. "Calm down, all of you, give me time to explain," he managed to yell out. "First things first," he handed Tailmon a golden ring. "I've managed to find your holy ring, you're going to need it"

Tailmon put her ring back onto her tail and finally felt whole again. She swished her tail about, "but what am I going to need it for, Gennai?"

"Takeru has awoken the two dragons," the digital man sighed.

"What?!" Taichi yelled for everyone's sakes. "But I thought Takeru said he wasn't close to being finished."

"I'm surprised as well, but that doesn't matter now. You all need to get ready for another battle, they're almost here."

"Wait, who else do we have to fight?" Mimi asked. "What''s going on?"

"That's right, Mimi doesn't know what's happened," Koushiro spoke. "Well, in short-"

Koushiro was cut short as a monstrous cry, echoed across the area. The wind kicked up dust as if the sky was screaming at them. It was far off, but they could make out a dark object flying their way. The closer it came the more apparent it's large size became. It's unending roars, not only pierced the children's ears but their hearts as well. It gave off the exact same feeling as the time Takeru had shrouded the street in darkness.

The digital monster that quickly rushed their way was colossus and draconic. It's body was almost the same as the shadow dragon Takeru had called when fighting Daemon. This one however, carried many more wings. It's deep purple scales accented it's bright golden claws. It's masked eyes only made it's strong jaw and sharp teeth stand out even more than they already did. Last but not least, it carried a large, dark orb in it's two front claws.

"I can't believe it got her this fast," Gennai cursed. "Wasn't it on the other side of the world just this morning?"

"What _is_ that?!" Mimi exclaimed.

"The dragon of darkness, Satan Mode." The dragon's cries continued endlessly as it made it's way closer. "I'll repeat myself children. You must defeat him or both of our worlds could be in danger."

"That's gonna be easy then," Daisuke boasted. "We'll just beat him the same way we beat MaloMyotismon." His digivice started to glow, "It's a dragon of darkness, right?"

The boy's device sent a beam of light straight at the incoming dragon. The others fallowed his lead one by one thinking that even if it didn't defeat the dragon, it should give them an edge of some sort. Soon all of the children from around the world started to pitch in with their light as well. The world was once again blinded by the hopes and dreams of the children.

However unlike before, this light didn't destroy their enemy. The dragon just kept moving and continued to roar as the light focused on to the orb it was holding. As the orb consumed the light, it grew darker and darker. Not only did it absorb the light, but even the darkness that had been left on the real world. Flames started to spew from the dragon's mouth as it kept up it's swift approach.

The looks of disbelief and fear on everyone's faces didn't even come close to reflecting the true feelings of defeat in their hearts. Even Gennai was shocked at how ineffective the children's will power was. Could nothing stop this dragon of revelation?

The dragon had finally made it's way to the outer edges of the gorge the Japanese chosen where standing in. The flames that blew from it's mouth pushed back the chosen who were standing atop the enclosing mountains. It didn't even bother looking their way as it kept moving forward, towards the rift between the digital world and the odd world the younger children had found themselves within. The purple dragon reared it's head back ready to release it's flames at the people that stood before it.

"Aura Force!" cried down from the sky, along with a blot of lighting that stopped the dragon in it's tracks.

Everyone looked up to find that the sky had opened up just a bit to reveal a boy in blue, surrounded by five other digimon.

The boy in blue couldn't help but grin as the dragon writhed in pain. "It seems he can't absorb attacks that are too large _or_ too fast."

"You say that, but he _did_ manage to absorb some of that attack just now," BlackWarGreymon assessed.

"Not that it matters for the rest of us." Angewomon spoke up.

"None of us have attacks that big or fast." LadyDevimon worried.

"That doesn't change our plan of attack in the slightest," SlashAngemon readied himself.

"…" the blue armored digimon flexed it's ten white wings.

"However…" Takeru looked over to the rift that lead into the odd dimension, "that might." He turned his blue and red eyes back to the dragon that was starting to rise. "I don't know if this will work out, but let's just roll with it. Attack by yourselves, but keep to the plan and wait for my mark." The blond flew towards the rift.

BlackWarGreymon couldn't help but think that the boy was a bit too free spirited. The black dragon-man almost couldn't believe that he trusted them to attack on their own as well. His fist clinched as his Dremon Destroyers sparked with electricity. He looked down at his target and decided to put that trust to good use. "Dance of the Lighting God: Black Tornado!"

The digimon formed a black vortex that sparked with blue lighting. It quickly made contact with the throat of the dark dragon and pushed it back. It's orb may be able to absorb ranged attacks, but it couldn't protect itself form contact damage.

The others also lashed out with their own physical attacks. LadyDevimon and Angewomon dived down to attack in unison. LadyDevimon pierced with her frosty, Back Hail Spear, as Angewomon delivered a stunning, Holy Iron Claw.

Last but not least SlashAngemon curled up and started to spin. Is silver blades turned red as he fell towards the still staggered dragon. He roared, "Blazing Ripper," as his heated blades ate into the dragons face mask. He only stopped when the dragon twisted it's neck to fling him off. The other digimon kept up their attack to keep the dragon down as they waited for Takeru's signal. The lone armor however, kept to the skies as it waited for it's own time to strike.

Gennai was amazed at the sight before him. It was as if the story of long ago was being played out right in front of him. The forms may be different but the power of the four harmonious ones were fighting off the dragon of darkness. His eyes caught sight of the boy who had started all of this. He watched as the blond fell from the sky to land right in front of him and the other children.

"Aw man, it seems that I'm the last one to show up." Takeru smiled. The stunned look on his friends faces left him slightly amused, but now wasn't the time for fun. He looked over to Gennai, "is this what I think it is?" The boy pointed to the rift to the other world that was slowly starting to close up.

"Yes," Gennai absentmindedly answered. "It's a world that has the power to grant a person's wishes."

"So that's why he went and ran off by himself," The boy mused to himself. A smirk found it's way to his mouth, "I hope he doesn't mind me stealing his idea."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Mimi exclaimed. "What's going on, exactly?"

The other children wanted to know as well. All they knew was that having that dragon there was something bad that needed to be dealt with. They didn't know why these events were happening or even how, other than Takeru had caused some them.

"It's really simple, Mimi," Takeru smiled her way. "I absorbed the power of the four harmonious beings that help hold this word together and bestowed some of their power to my companions. I then proceeded to awaken two dragons bent on destroying the digital world and reshaping it into their own image, with the intent of changing their minds. One of them was willing to change, but the other one got a bit antsy. The fight was going pretty well, but then he suddenly ran off all on his own. He must have sensed the rift that opened up and wanted to grant his wish without defeating me first."

"I see." Mimi exclaimed. She didn't really get it, but she took away that the dragon was the bad guy. The girl was delightfully unaware of most of the things that had transpired in the past few days so she was more than willing to help the blond. "What should we do first?"

"To start things off, I'll need Hikari to give me Angemon's bracelet." Takeru turned his gaze to the girl in question. He watched as she studied him. They both stood there waiting for the other to make the first move. The first one to move though, was the girl's brother.

"You've got a lot of nerve to be asking for our help now, Takeru." Taichi glared. He wanted to say more but now wasn't the time. He turned to his sister and tried to grab the bracelet around her wrist. He was shocked when the girl pulled her arm back. "Hikari… we have to work together if we plan to fight that thing. Takeru and Gennai seem to be the only one's to know what's going on."

"He right," Gennai cut in, "I hate it, but we can only leave the fighting to him. You all don't have the power to DNA digivolve anymore." The old man was assaulted with more questions. "It was because of Tailmon's holy ring that you were all able to attain that power. Now that she has it back, you can no longer combine partners. That's why even if you can't completely trust him, he's the only one who can handle the situation for now."

Hikari pressed her lips, "of course I trust him." She reached up and removed the bracelet. "I just want to give back the bracelet myself." She slowly made her way to the boy cloaked in blue. She held out the bracelet as she stared in to his wide eyes. "You… don't believe me?"

"It's more so _cant_ , than ' _don't_.'" Takeru grabbed the bracelet. The two kept a light hold, "I don't really deserve it." Takeru wasn't unaware of how he had treated his friends. He had thrown away their trust for others, just so he could accomplish his own goals.

"I don't know what's gotten into you if you think I would ever stop believing in you." Hikari was the one to pull her hand away. "That's why you better hurry up so I can give you a good talking to. You may say that you're going to destroy and reshape the digital world, but I'll still trust you." For the first time in a while, Hikari was able to give Takeru a genuine smile.

"Me too," Yamato walked up and grasped his bother's shoulder. "There are a lot of things I wanna say as well, but that can wait until after you've won."

Everyone else also rained down their support. Takeru couldn't help but feel thankful that he had such great friends. He clinched the bracelet tightly within his grip. The light it gave off, shown brightly within the dark landscape.

Takeru pulled back and launched the glowing trinket into the air, "get into the pyramid formation! Awaken, Seraphimon!" Like a rising star, the bracelet collided with the angelic digimon. The bracelet started to break up and be absorbed by his wings. Each of it's ten wings turned golden and gave off a soft glow.

The recently awaken angelic digimon surveyed it's surroundings. While it may have just been in a dazed state, it still remember the job that had been designated to it. It watched as it's partners formed a perfect, leveled square around their draconic foe. The angel soon found his way at the center of the square, far above the rest of it's comrades.

SlashAngemon crossed both of his arms, "In the name of the red phoenix of the south." He started glowing red while the others fallowed suit.

"The white tiger of the west," Angewomon sparkled white.

"The black tortoise of the north," LadyDevimon glimmered green.

"The blue dragon of the east," BlackWarGerymon radiated blue.

"The golden dragon of the center," Seraphimon shined gold.

A golden light shot out form the four on the ground that connected their squared. Then each of them shot out a light that hit Seraphimon. The open space between the lines soon with their own golden light, to trap the dragon inside. It tried it's best, but it couldn't brake out of it's radiant prison. All of the children were in aw the beautiful light that trapped the horrible monster.

The Japanese children were so enraptured by the sight before them, that they forgot all about the one who had kicked off the light show. The others looked around to find Takeru at the rift between worlds, but he wasn't alone. He was looking down at Iori who was holding onto a pale Oikawa. The younger boy looked to still be trying to drag the man into the digital world. No matter how much the boy pleaded, the man didn't look well enough to even stand on his own two feet.

Gennai had almost forgotten about the man, "he won't be able to make it. MaloMyotismon drained too much of his life when being reborn." Gennai managed to explain again for Takeru. "He doesn't have much time left."

"Didn't he already absorb the energy of one of those kids?" Takeru piped in.

"All of them, actually."

"What a greedy guy," said the boy who had absorbed more than just four holy beast, Mega level digimon. Takeru bent down and looked Oikawa in the eyes. He reached his hand out and felt the man's slow heartbeat. The quizzical look that crept to his face was quickly replaced by a duller one when he grabbed the mans collar and tossed him into the digital world. "Well, that's got nothing to do with me," Takeru made his way into the dream world.

The large man landed roughly next to his digimon partner. "Why would you do that to, Oikawa?" The tiny digimon fumed.

"No, it's alright," Oikawa struggled. "I deserve a much worse reaction than I got. The only thing I wish for, is the chance to undo all of the harm I caused this world."

"Don't bother," Takeru said bluntly. "This world would have turned into a mess sooner or later anyway. Besides, right now the only thing you have left to offer is your life, and nobody wants that." Everyone was shocked at the boy's sharp words. "So it would be better to keep it to yourself and keep living than give it up to this barren digital world."

The man was shocked by the boy's words. Iori had already ran to try and help him up once again but he lightly brushed the boy aside. If what the blond spoke was the truth, then he wouldn't need any help. It was hard but he found himself on his feet after a bit a struggling. It was almost like he could feel his life coming back to him. He noticed a light shine from within his pocket and reached in to find a digivice of his own.

"I can't have you getting in my way just because you're dying," Takeru muttered. "Live on and regret what you've done. Use it to try and better yourself."

Oikawa was shocked at the boy's kindness. It was as if he was completely different from the person he had met the other day. Unlike the day before, when the boy needed a reason to take his life, today he hadn't needed any in order to save it. He had planed to give up his own life in order to restore the digital world, but that boy stopped him. Those eyes completely saw through him once again. A small smile made it's way to his face. He and MaloMyotismon hadn't been a match for the other children, and he also wasn't a match for this one either.

"Hey, Iori, I'm gonna need my digivice back as well," Takeru called over.

The green eyed boy fished the device out of his pocket. He broodingly stared down at it and back up to it's owner. "You shouldn't throw people, Takeru," he grumbled as he tossed the device to his friend.

"He was in the way," Takeru caught his digital trinket. "Besides, he doing better then every." A thunderous roar caught his and everyone's attention. the dragon was busy slamming his skull against the pyramid that trapped it. It didn't look as if it was going to break anytime soon, but it was still very intimidating.

Takeru couldn't help but grin at it's helplessness. He held his digivice close to his heart, "if this world really has the power to grant wishes, then let's see if it can grant mine." The digivice started to light up in the same green color as it's grips. "I don't care how you do it, but give me the power to defeat a legendary dragon." He instinctively rose his arm and a green beam shot from the digivice and into the digital world's sky, as it cut it's way through the clouds.

Everyone watched as the boy kept shooting his light into the sky, but nothings seemed to be happening. The only notice they got that something was happening was Koushiro's laptop beeping. The boy quickly opened it up to see what actually was going on.

As soon as the screen lit up, he almost dropped his laptop to the ground. The other chosen quickly gathered around to find out what had surprised the boy so much. All they could make out was a world map that had a few lights blinking on it. It was the same map the displayed what gates were open and where. The last time they had seen it, it showed the exact same screen… except for one thing. The blinking lights were all starting to connect with one another.

"Hey Koushiro, what do all of those lines mean?" asked Sora.

Miyako move in to get a better look, and she was just as startled as her senior, "how is that possible?"

"Wait, what's going on?" Jou asked once again.

"All of the gates are connecting to one another through the network." Koushiro explained.

"And that means~?" Taichi prodded.

"It means that any gate could lead you to another one without having to go to another area," Ken explained.

"But how does that help?" Mimi chimed in.

Koushiro quietly thought of the best way to explain what exactly was happening. "Do you know how much energy it took for every chosen child to come to this one location, all at once?"

"Yeah, it was enough for us to defeat MaloMyotismon," Iori answered.

"Good, good, now multiply that by _every_ computer that's connected to the internet!" Koushiro nearly dropped his laptop once again. "The digital world is lined up perfectly with the world wide web. Those lines are connecting those gates to the internet and transferring their power to this location."

The clouds in the sky started to split apart. Only about a handful of children were shocked because of a familiar sight the sky held. The image of the real world resting within the sky was replaced by a myriad of colors and circles. It was the same view of internet that some of the children had seen in a fight a few years ago. An access point was right above everyone's heads and it opened up to beam a light down upon the golden pyramid.

Daisuke stood still, mouth agape, "he's gonna hit him with the internet?"

"In layman's terms, yes." Koushiro uttered.

If that sight wasn't shocking enough, the green light, still shooting into the sky, became stronger. Everyone's eyes fell back on to the boy who was now shining gold. His cloak was a golden as his eyes were.

"Are you ready, you cowardly dragon?" the boy exclaimed. "This is the power of both the digital and the real world. Taikyoku…"

That was the second signal Seraphimon was waiting for. Lighting gathered at his fingertips as he made a fist. He quickly shot it into the sky, towards the beam of green light. The electricity swirled around it until it gained a golden color and the shape of a beast. The lighting had completely transformed into an eight eyed dragon and it roared thunder down on to the land. The light from the access point started to be devoured by the golden dragon and it grew more than twice it's size.

Seraphimon's hand steadied itself and held on tight to the enormous power. This had been in the original plan, except now there was a lot more power than intentionally intended. He wouldn't let it go to waste. He brought his hand downward, and guided the lighting to it's target, "…Ascension!"

The lighting dragon roared as it made it's way to the pyramid. The dragon could only watch in anger as the form of the one he hated most fell onto him. As soon as the attack came in contact with the barrier, an explosive light covered the land. No one could see the immense damage being done, but they could clearly hear it. The combination of cracking thunder, electricity, and a dragon's cries filled their ears. However, just as soon as it had came, it quickly died down to silence.

The once rampaging dragon was lying unmoving on the ground. Large chunks of data had been broken off of it's body. The data slowly rose and dissipated into the sky. The only thing that looked to be intact was the orb that it was holding. There wasn't a single scratch to be seen on it.

Takeru couldn't help but begin heaving at the amount of power he had just exerted. It seemed that the strange dream world didn't grant wishes completely for free. With that last attack, he understood the limit of the dimension and he certainly could see why Lucemon switched tactics. The speedy payoff was worth the physical pain. Even though he had enough strength to use it's power again, their was an extremely large liability still in front of him.

"Everyone!" The blond yelled like thunder. "The enemy still isn't defeated. His real form lies within that large orb. I don't have enough power for another attack, so please, lend me your strength. Raise your digivices to the sky."

All of the children quickly did as the boy said and rose their devices. Lights shot upward towards the white sky and all of the children and their digimon went along with them. Takeru couldn't help but spit out a suppressed laugh at the empty landscape before him. He couldn't believe that he manage to trick that many people with a lie he had just came up with on the spot.

"You're really awful, Takeru," a feminine voice called out. Takeru tuned to see Hikari staring him down. He also noticed that Ichijouji was also standing there. "You didn't really think you could trick me, did you?"

"Yes," the blond answered seriously, "and what's your excuse?" he directed at Ichijouji.

"I've grown to tell when you're being absolutely serious," Ken answered back.

Takeru clicked his tongue, "you two _would_ be the ones to make things complicated." The boy became quiet in his frustration. He realized that it was way too late to be trying to hide things so he decided to be direct. "Look, I''m about to destroy and reshape this world, so you need to leave. I can't even guarantee my own safety, or if I'll even be able to do it right, so I don't need to be worried about you two as well."

There were a lot of reasons for not having them there. "I'm trying to condense days of deconstruction and even more days of recreation within the span of minutes. I have to keep track of all of the digimon so they don't get lost in the process. I also planed on converting the dark world's data as well, so that's another world I'll have to deconstruct." But his largest complaint, "and why should I let you risk your lives for my own selfishness?"

The two were caught off guard by the blond's ramblings. They had tacked on their own ideas to the boy's words of, 'destroying the digital world,' but never gave the reconstruction part much thought. It had only been a day since they had heard of his plans, but reconstructing a world would need a lot of thought put into it. Even so, the two of them wouldn't back down.

"If it takes that much work, then let us help you," Ken argued. "You said so yourself, that we would be useful. You talk about not risking our lives for your sake, but what about them?!" He pointed to the group of digimon waiting for their next command. "I know you care about them and wouldn't needlessly risk their lives! What makes us any different?!"

"If I mess up, this world will still reset on it's own, with them in it! I can't say it would be the same for me or you!" The boy's had moved and were now yelling in each other's faces. There glare off was only broken when Hikari had stepped in between them and forcibly tagged Ken out for herself. The blond was put off guard by the sudden change of eyes, but what really got to him was the slap across his face. He grit his teeth with and undying amount of frustration and turned his hardest glare onto the girl.

Hikari saw this coming and once again reached her hands out and squeezed the boy's face between them. "I'm staying. I've asked you plenty of times to stay safe and you never do. If this is as dangerous as yous say it is then I'll just have to protect you myself."

"I told you that I don't want-"

"This isn't about what _you_ want," the girl's eyes didn't waver. "Now, like Ken said earlier, you said that we could help you. Tell me, so that I can do my best as well."

Takeru's eyes were completely captured by the girl's. His mouth could only stay shut in front of her determination. The only thing to break him out of his stunned state was the sound something cracking. His eyes darted past the girl's and focused in on the now lonely orb, starting to break open. He no longer had any time to argue with his friends. He could only be thankful that these two were the only one's who stayed.

A frustrated grunt escaped the boy's throat. He quickly grabbed the duo's hands and went to the distortion to straddled the line between the worlds. Hikari was on his right, in the digital, while Ken was on his left in the dream world. "Set up the formation on the three of us around the rift!" he commanded the ready digimon.

The digimon moved their formation to where they were instructed. Before the pyramid could be brought up, Tailmon and Wormmon quickly made their way to their partner's sides. They were just as much apart of this as everyone else. The only one left aside was Gennai.

"Try not to die on me, Gennai," Takeru advised as pyramid fully enclosed, separating them. From behind the rift the barrier looked as perfect as it had been the first time, but from the other side it looked to be perfectly sliced down the middle.

The digimon keeping the barrier steady were a bit concerned. This plan was completely rushed, but if Takeru had faith then so should they.

The boy's digivice's screen gave off a golden glow and started floating in front of him. He cradled his hands around it and took a deep breath. The holy bindings around his wrists and ankles started to glow as well, and found themselves wrapping the shining device in an orb of rings.

"I need the two of you to hold on to me and do exactly as I say." The two children did as they were told and grabbed onto the boy's shoulders. "Ichijouji, I need you tap into your darkness and open up a gate to the dark world." The dark haired boy gave a light nod before being surrounded by a dark aura. A dark portal started to swirl behind the trio, outside of the pyramid. The dragon's lonely orb started to crack and shake just a little bit more. "Good…" The two could feel the boy's back starting to tighten. "Let's begin the world deconstruction plan."

The dark portal behind the children began to spin faster. As it picked up speed, the portal started to flow through the barrier and then Takeru's own body to get to the golden orb that was his digivice and holy bindings. His teeth grit as he felt the darkness flow through his veins. He used Ken as an anchor to keep his thoughts grounded and from becoming overwhelmed. He was filtering out all of the garbage that had made it's way there and converting it back to pure darkness. As the last bit made it's way through his chest and into the orb, he exhaled a single haggard breath.

The next thing that started to break apart was the dream dimension. The odd structures inside started to delete themselves into bits of data. The walls were next to go as they started to reveal the digital world on the other side. Large amounts of data started to make it's way through the barrier, and the boy as well. This time the blond couldn't help but release strained grunts. His painful growls echoed in his friend's ears. Hikari couldn't help but hold on a little tighter to the boy. She didn't even need to be told to start giving off her own light. It was slight but it took a bit of stress off of the boy. Soon the dream world had also found it's way into the golden orb.

The blond's feet slightly turned inward and slid apart just a bit for what was about to come next. After a few huffs, every part of his body tensed up. His mouth clinched as hard as it could. The digital world started to break apart bit by bit, just like the last two worlds before it. While this data didn't flow though the boy, it still put an enormous amount of strain on his body. His veins visible crawled along his skin. He couldn't help but give small yelps as he tried to absorb the digital world into his four bindings and digivice.

The world around the pyramid started to turn white, as the digital world was slowly breaking apart. Tailmon and Wormmon were amazed at the sight before them. Not before long, when they looked down, they were greeted to the same white view as the sky. However, even that too started to fade away. The world around them slowly started to turn dark. They were soon only surrounded by darkness.

The only light that could be made out, were the ones coming from Takeru and his pyramid. The two digimon stared into a vast amount of nothingness. That was until another light caught their eye. A bright flash came from their side and they turned to find Gennai surrounded by a white light. Not just him, more lights started to flash within the darkness. One after another, a rainbow of colors started to light up in the distance. The closer the two looked, the sooner they realized that the lights made up a sphere. They wondered if those could be the lights of every digimon that was in the digital world.

Takeru was drenched in sweat. He had expected things to be at least this hard, but that still didn't prepare him for the painful onslaught he was going through. It was as if he body was being torn apart. A ghost of a smile graced his face at the fact that he was finally at the final stage.

In the original plan, only the dark world would have been an extra deconstruction, and he would have mixed it into a digital world that was separated into two absolutes of light and darkness. It was also a process to take place over many days.

The barrier's original goal was to make sure that no one got in his way, and from looking at the ominous orb that was still lingering in the darkness, it still was. The barrier also let the five digimon help in converting the data as well. However, now that he converted the power of the dream world, this process could be sped up exponentially. It also made it so that he could leave the digital world as it was, for the most part.

"This is the last part you two," Takeru huffed, "hold on tight cause were about to create a whole new world." The boy's teeth couldn't have grit any harder as he focused on the golden orb within his hands. All of his muscles tightened for the final step. "Now's the reconstruction phase."

The ball of light that hovered within the boy's hands started to shrink and expand at will. Little by little, it's growing out paced it's shrinking. Electricity circled the orb as it slowly expanded. Every now and then, it would spark off in a random direction, slipping through the barrier and leaving a stream of data in it's wake.

Gennai watched the boy struggle with the power of multiple wolds at his finger tips. The boy's tough facade had been completely broken as he heard the release of a painful yell. They came one after another whenever the electricity would make contact with his body. The boy's skin also stripped away into data as soon as contact was made.

Other than just being ruled by a tyrant and covered in darkness, there were many dangers of someone reshaping the digital world in their image. Their body and soul were at risk of being taken in amongst the large mass of data and being lost to the world itself. As the boy's yells of continued, Gennai wondered if he would even be able to see his plan through to the end. He looked on as the boy's body was further assaulted, but at least commended the fact that he didn't allow the same to be done to his friends. For better or worse, things were about to be over.

While Hikari and Ken weren't being electrocuted, they were still having a hard time. Takeru had told them to get ready, but they didn't know for what until he started screaming. They could feel the current running through his body and tried to respond accordingly. Their light and darkness focused on the boy and tried to shake of any amount of his pain. They both perked up at the sound of his yells becoming more focused, and stretched out. It was as if he was trying to expand the data bit by bit.

Takeru grit and growled as the orb started to encase him and the others. It kept slowly encompassed the entire pyramid. His vision was covered in golden light as he tried to focus on the ever growing energy that would become a new world. At this state, he was the only one in danger of any immediate backlash, but that only meant that it caused his body more stress. He shuddered as he clenched his fist as tightly as he could.

With one final excruciating shout, Takeru lit the golden world in a flash of white. Everyone watching, closed their eyes from the intense brightness. For the light that had just assaulted their eyes, was also the signal for a new world.

Everyone slowly managed to open their eyes to a dark starry night. The cloudy sky had been completely cleared up, as the moon shined down on the land below them. The land that had been drained and barren, looked colorful, and lived in, even if it was only a few sparse plants. For a mountain range it was somewhat lively.

It was at that moment that Ken and Hikari noticed that they were elevated quite a bit. Their placement in the world must have been shifted after the recreation. It was then that the barrier holding them up dissipated. The two children fell with their partners and friend for only a few feet before being caught by Seraphimon.

Tailmon looked at the blue armored angel with questioning stare, "You're Patamon, aren't you?"

"Yes," the angel answered bashfully. He turned down towards Hikari, "thank you for taking care of my bracelet for Takeru." He watched as the girl nodded in confusion.

"How did you manage to come back from being destroyed in the real world?" Wormmon asked.

"Well, after using, Testament, my data flowed within Takeru just like the holy beasts. The only difference was that my digicore was stored in my bracelet."

"So Hikari had your heart while Takeru had your body," Ken summarized.

"Exactly. That way Takeru was able to reform my digiegg and hatch me. He pumped power from Huanglongmon into to me to get me to digivolve, but without my soul I was mostly just an 'empty,' suit of armor." Seraphimon landed and gently put the others down. Takeru leaned back against his front for support.

Hikari crouched to her knees and released a sigh of relief. Her eyes were closed but she could feel Tailmon run into her lap. She took in a deep breath of the crisp night air. She couldn't feel even the smallest hint of darkness in the area.

"Now's not the time for resting." Takeru's voice snapped her out of her relaxed state. "Don't let your guard down yet. The real fight is just about to begin." The girl had no idea of what he was talking about until she heard the sound of something breaking open. She turned to face the same direction as the others and noticed the giant dragon's orb had a hole in it.

A white light shined from within the giant sphere. It slowly made it's way out to reveal that it came from a small angel. It looked to be no larger than an eight year old. It had a pure white tunic that matched it's eight white wings. Two feathers sprouted from the side of it's golden hair. It had a bunch of blue markings running down it's limbs. What stood out the most were the four holy rings around his writs and ankles.

The five digimon that accompanied Takeru moved in front of the children, ready to fight off the child-like angel. Both sides glared back at each other.

"He may be smaller, but he's stronger than he looks," Takeru warned. The boy lost his grip on his digivice and holy bindings. They started to fade in color as they came closer to the ground. As soon as they made contact, they both cracked into tiny digital pieces and blew away with the wind. At the sound of they boy's items breaking, the angle's blue eyes glared towards Takeru. "Don't make that face. If you're so upset over what happened then come and get me… Lucemon."

* * *

Back at the campsite, the Japanese chosen were looking up into the sky that could barely show them the digital world. Over the course of a few battles it had turned from pitch black to showing off the white network space, and then to mountains and seas. Their atmosphere was finally starting to comeback and cover up their view into the other world.

The only reason they could keep watch on what was happening to their friends was because of Koushiro's laptop. He kept a lock on the other's location and could view the battlefield from there. The only problem was that the gate wasn't working for them, despite being opened.

"I don't get it. Every gate around the world is opened, but we can't get through," the red head hissed.

"Do you think Takeru set up the digital world differently from before?" Jou hypothesized.

"…I don't know…"

"I can't believe we fell for such a cheap trick," Taichi punched his palm.

"It's not your fault Taichi," Agumon placed a claw on his partner's leg. "You got caught up in the moment."

"I know, but now Hikari's there without me." the boy could feel his parents pat his shoulders in reassurance.

"What about Ken?" the dark haired boy's mother asked. "Will he be alright?"

"Don't worry, he'll be just fine," Sora consoled. "Not only is Wormmon there, Hikari and Takeru are also there with their own partners. Takeru also brought along some strong allies as-" the girl was cut off by screams coming from the computer. "I'm positive they'll make it out of this just fine," she managed to squeak out.

"I can't believe that cute, little angel came out of that orb." Koushiro's mother wondered aloud.

"And I can't believe it's fighting off all of those other monsters by itself." The boy's father responded.

"It's Lucemon's base from. The angel who lead the army to destroy the dragon of destruction. Even though it's just a Rookie, it's even stronger than an Ultimate." Koushiro kept typing away.

During this frustrating down time, the other children had made their way to their parents. Many hugs and tears were shared and now the only thing all of them could do was wait. The only one who still kept his tension, other than Taichi, was Yamato. Ever since coming back to Earth with Gabumon, he kept his eyes upward. He only averted his gaze when he heard someone approaching him.

The blond watched his mother and father walk his way. He didn't dare look into their eyes. He felt so ashamed of himself for not being able to at least help his little brother. He couldn't imagine what they could be feeling right now, knowing that they were even more useless than he was.

"…Yamato," His mother called out to him. She watched her son turn away only for his father to rush up and forced the boy the turn around.

"No mater what you think, this isn't your fault," her ex-husband spoke.

"I know…" Yamato whispered.

"Then why are you acting like it is? All of us parents have been doing our best to help you kids, knowing that what we actually can do is limited. You kids are the only ones who can really do anything, so don't look like you've already given up."

"I haven't given up… At least, not on Takeru."

"And yourself?" He watched as his son didn't answer him. He was about to say more until his ex-wife beat him to it.

"You can't give up like that, Yamato." She hugged her son. "When you kids went back to that world the first time and we watched you all disappear…" The woman started to tear up a little. "We didn't give up then, and you all didn't give up either. You have to believe in yourself as much as we do in you. As much as you do in Takeru."

Yamato returned his mother's embrace and soon felt his father at his back. Their love comforted him. He slowly pulled away from both of them and gripped his digivice. If everyone could force the gates open before, then he could at least bridge himself and Gabumon to the digital world by himself. He stared up once again to the transparent night sky. Just like his little brother, he won't be stopped.

* * *

Takeru couldn't believe he was being held up by a digimon that was smaller than he was. His feet weren't even touching the ground. Thinking back, he realized that he had pretty much done the same in the past few days, so he didn't have that much right to talk now. He also didn't have the chance because he had a small hand clasped on his neck. The cloth that would have protected it had long disappeared. Only the final holy binding rested in it's place.

"…Why?" Lucemon tightened his grip. "Why, must someone always get in my way? I thought that I would finally be able to change this awful world but…" his free hand gripped the holy binding around Takeru's neck, "you still get in my way."

The digimon sprawled around the two couldn't even manage to lift a finger to help their strangled friend. After helping Takeru reconfigure the digital world, they too, were to exhausted to keep up with the abnormally strong rookie digimon. Being able to take down even Mega level digimon, Stingmon and Tailmon weren't much help, either.

"I'd prefer it if you actually talked to _me_ , Lucemon," Takeru managed to choke out.

"I have noting to say to you. Out of everyone I've ever met, I thought you'd be the one to understand me the best… but I guess I was wrong about that. In the end you chose to favor that blasted Huanglongmon and his treacherous excrement."

"I've never favored either of you," the blond gripped at the hand clasping his neck. "You were the one to run off by yourself after throwing a fit. You knew what the plan needed and only disagreed at the very end."

"I thought that reshaping the world with him would be fine as long as you were there, but then you had to add them in on the plan as well." He spoke of the digimon that Takeru had aligned himself with.

"So you felt surrounded by the enemy?" The boy was answered by silence. "You knew I couldn't have reshaped the digital world with just my own body and spirit, and would have always needed the help of the others. You know that without all of the holy beasts, I can't gather all of Huanglongmon's power. They are-"

"I know what they are!" The small angel exclaimed. "They're the ones who sealed me with the one I hated the most, for hundreds of years. Even if you're the one who controls them and divides their power, I still can not put my faith in them."

"I don't see how you can still be this insecure of others. After sharing a space with Huanglongmon for as long as you did. After becoming one with him in my own body. After feeling the digicores of the other digimon that I absorbed."

"..."

"After I kept my promise… to the both of you." Takeru suddenly felt his feet touch the ground. Lucemon had dropped him to look around the mountain range.

"You did keep your promise, didn't you," he stated. The young looking angel soaked in a world that no longer had the sent of darkness in the air. He also no longer felt the shackles of the Holy Stones or their masters. "Yet a world like this is just asking to be shoved in one direction sooner or later."

"That's not for me to decide." Takeru glared.

"That's right. When you made that promise inside of the Holy Stone, my plan was to manipulate you and be awakened so that I could change the world for myself." Lucemon's limbs started to grow longer and muscular. "Yet, you won me over, and I thought that it would be fun to see what you could do for yourself." His chest buffed out proportionality to the rest of his body. "You truly are amazing… which is why I won't hold back in getting you out of my way." His larger head matured to the face of a young man. "My _pride_ won't allow me to. As long as those beasts still exist, I will shape this world in my own image."

Takeru scowled at the new form Lucemon had digivolved to. The tiny angel that had been even smaller than he was, was now as tall as Seraphimon. White and black interchanged between each other as he eyes rose from the digimon's white boots, to it's black jacket. What stood out the most were his ten wings. His right set looked to be the wings of an angle, while the five on his left were those of a demon.

"Fallen Down Mode…" Takeru uttered.

"That's right," the fallen angel clenched his fist. "While Satan Mode has more raw power, this form let's me fight at my best."

Takeru didn't have time to blink before his vision was suddenly forced upward. The pain in his jaw gave him a good guess at what had happened. He once again found his neck grasped tightly by Lucemon's much larger hand.

"You on the other hand, are at your worst," Lucemon examined the boy. "You gave up your digivice and the beasts' holy bindings to create this world. Even before that, you gave some of their power to your allies. It's a miracle that Seraphimon is still here."

The blue armored angel struggled on the ground.

"But to be fair, you do still have the binding from Huanglongmon and I," he released is grip and looped a finger around the gold ring on the boy's neck. "And even after giving those beasts' powers to others, their digicores still resided within you." He laced his other fingers around the trinket and clenched as hard as he could. Before he could hear a cracking sound, his free hand shot up to catch a fist aimed at his face.

Takeru tried to pull back his fist in vain. He lashed out with his free right hand only to be twisted in an awkward motion to cause him to miss. He kept trying to throw a punch until Lucemon let go of his left hand and swatted him away. The boy slid across the ground roughly as he looked up at the starry sky.

"You still don't give up… You still believe you can win… Is that your, 'Hope?'" Lucemon had gotten to know Takeru quite well over their short time together. The boy's powers were a result of him imposing his will on to others. Without them he was nothing but a normal child. How could he be thinking of keeping up the same pace now that he was basically on his own? He always wondered if it was because the boy was the chosen of hope.

"My hope isn't, 'not giving up because I believe I can win,'" Takeru exhaled. "It's, 'not giving up until I _do_ '." he rose his upper body.

Unknown to himself, Lucemon lightly smiled. So that's how it was? Good, that's how it should be. He was reminded once again why he also fallowed the boy, and why he shouldn't hold back. A white, bright orb formed in his right hand while his left generated a large black one.

"You've made a variation of this move on your own, but how about you try the original out for yourself." The fallen angel tossed the white ball at the still sprawled out boy. He body was quickly engulfed in light, and the area was just a quickly engulfed in his screams. Lucemon then released his black orb to combine with it's white twin in it's attack.

Takeru's body was then encased in a golden and black sphere surrounded with checkered markings and writing. He was trapped in a painful three dimensional magic circle. Lucemon pulled back his fist and struck at the orb with great force. The magical ball flew back quite a while before shattering and dropping it's victim. His attack had clearly done quite the bit of damage but it still wasn't enough to kill the boy.

Lucemon raised his right hand to gather light once more. He took aim and fired at will. The ball of light was closing in on it's target until a shadow jumped out in front of it. The Ultimate level digimon rose his eyebrow at the human that dared to get in the way of his attack.

Hikari was standing her ground in between Takeru and the orb of light. She dug her feet as deep into the dirt as she could. The unrelenting light fought it's hardest to try and overcome her. She had never felt such and intense light before. It was as if it wanted to obliterate the very space it occupied and leave nothing but brightness in it's wake.

Lucemon was slightly impressed with the girl. Even though he was aware of her powers of light, he hadn't expected her to jump out like she did. He raised his left hand to generate another orb of darkness. It was a shame, but it seemed that he wouldn't be able to leave her alive either.

The ball of darkness flew towards the light that Hikari was holding back. The girl braced herself for the incoming attack. She hoped that she would at least be able to stop it from engulfing Takeru as well. She waited and waited, but the attack never came. The attack in her hands started to die down to reveal the back of the boy that saved her. Ken was the one keeping the ball of darkness at bay.

Ken grit is teeth and released a low growl as he slowly gripped the orb tighter. His hands clawed in and spread the orb apart. Between the split he could see Lucemon smiling at him. He glared back at the angel as the darkness disappeared.

"You two are really too much," the fallen angel clapped with laughter.

"What's so funny about wanting to protect our friend?" Ken yelled.

"Nothing at all," Lucemon walked away from the fallen digimon. "I just didn't expect to get this much resistance from someone other than Takeru." he slowly made his way towards the children.

"Why are you doing this?" Hikari yelled out. "I don't understand. Didn't Takeru keep his promise? Didn't you get what you wanted?"

"He did. He managed to create a whole world that the leans to neither the light or the dark. Huanglongmon, Takeru, and myself all had the same basic wish by the end of our journey together. It took him a while to completely figure out what we wanted to accomplish, but by the time he fought with you all, everything had been thought through."

The fallen digimon stopped in his tracks to take in the two confused children. "However, what I personally wanted was the destruction of the holy beasts," he continued. "Light, dark, or neutral, those four would want to shape the world in their own vision. From the start it wasn't about peace or the balance of the digital world for me. It was just a pretext to kill those accursed beasts. Then I would shape and rule the digital world myself. Not through darkness or light, but my own will."

Hikari and Ken were appalled at the dark angel's selfishness. It made sense for him to hold his grudge for as long as he did, but it still didn't justify his actions. The two shared a quick glance before they both dug their feet into the soil to stand their ground. They wouldn't let Lucemon get to Takeru before he could get up again.

The two children could feel each other's spirits to not giving up. As Hikari started to glow white again, darkness wrapped itself around Ken. When the two energies touched between them a golden triangle appeared before them. It stood tall and strong, ready to protect their friend.

Lucemon was once again amused by the sights before him. He had always used light and darkness for attacking but these kids used it in the completely opposite direction. Takeru, Huanglongmon, and the holy beasts had been the only things running through his mind ever since he had escaped. He had planed to use the dream dimension's powers to easily destroy them, but he'd now have to do it the hard way. His only saving grace was that they all shared the same body.

If things kept up like they were now, he wouldn't have any problems. He generated his two contrasting orbs and smashed them together within his hands. The three dimensional magic circle rested between them as he raised his palms above his head. He smiled as the two prepare for his attack.

Hikari and Ken watched as Lucemon grinned at them. They were ready for his worst but were shocked when he pulled his hands apart. He split his combined attack back into two and lowered his arms. What shocked them even more were the two the attacks were being lowered upon.

Takeru and Seraphimon had gotten up and planned to pincer Lucemon in as soon as he released his attack. Whether they had been too hasty or if Lucemon had just noticed them couldn't have been known. Either way, the two were struck with the balls of darkness and light. Takeru was once again trapped within light while Seraphimon was covered in darkness.

"Ha ha ha, nice try but this is the end for you two," Lucemon smiled. As he was about to bring both orbs together again, he felt the air above him turn deathly cold. He looked up to find a frozen wind freeze him within ice.

Takeru and Seraphimon were dropped, but picked up before they could hit the ground. Takeru felt something metallic underneath of him and managed to look to his side to find his bother sitting on MetalGarurumon. The metal wolf came to a stop next to Hikari and Ken to let the two boy's and digimon off.

"What are you doing here, bro?" Takeru asked completely surprised.

"You didn't think I'd leave you here to fight without me, did you?" Yamato ruffled his brother's hair.

"Actually, we all just held up your digivices to the sky," everyone on the ground looked up to find Taichi with WarGreymon and the other original chosen from the campsite. They were falling down with all of their digimon evolved to their highest unlocked level.

Taichi landed and ran up to catch Hikari in a hug that she quickly returned. "It's great to see you all," she started, "but where are Miyako and the others?"

"Because they can't DNA digivolve, they felt like they wouldn't have been of much help, so they all decided to give our parents the play by play on Koushiro's laptop," Sora explained.

"I'm surprised you guys didn't show up sooner," Ken slightly relieved.

"We'll the ports weren't working at all," Koushiro explained. "But after a while, we could just hold up are digivices like before and be transported."

"That's probably because the world settled in," chimed an old voice. Gennai made himself known to the children once more. "The reason you probably couldn't use the ports was because they were put their by the Harmonious Ones. If Takeru recreated the world the way I think he did, those individual portals are gone along with the Holy Stones. I also noticed that you got your crest powers back so that's even more proof that the Harmonious one's no long hold power over the digital world."

"Then why couldn't we get here earlier?" Yamato asked.

Gennai rubbed his chin while thinking up a simple explanation, "like I said, the digital world wasn't fully settled when you tried getting in like you did before. While you may have seen it's image in your sky, all of it's data hadn't settled in yet. It was as if you were asking to go to a place that didn't exist."

"Like trying to work a file that hadn't fully installed itself yet," Koushiro thought aloud.

"Correct! One final thing. After seeing all of you here, it only confirms that the connection between the digital world and your own world is stronger than ever. If I had to hazard a guess, it's as if the gate was broken down and anyone with a digivice can enter at anytime. I don't even want to think of what your governments will do with all of the data, they'll get."

Everyone thought hard about what that could mean for both worlds but were quickly interrupted by cracking ice. Lucemon flexed himself out of his frozen prison and glared over to Takeru and his comrades. Before he could even lift a finger, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon blasted him further away from everyone. The other digimon also joined in, in trying to push the overpowered Ultimate back.

"I can't believe you've been fighting that monster this whole time," Jou shrunk. "I mean, he fought off three Megas and two Ultimates as just a rookie. Shouldn't we call for help?"

"I don't think that would work. If we called down the other chosen children, that would just be making a larger target for him to hit," Koushiro theorized. "If he could absorb the digivice's light while in Satan Mode, I don't even want to think of what he could do with it now."

"Most of them don't even have Ultimates either," Taichi mused. "But they should be at least at the ready just in case."

"Shouldn't we at least call Mimi?" Yamato added. He was just about to walk over to the others until he noticed that his bother was still standing next to him. He would have guessed that the boy would have jumped back into the battle by now, but he was just standing still, looking at the ground.

"…Takeru?" he didn't catch his brother's attention. "Takeru?!" he got the boy to at least look his way that time. "Do you… have a plan?"

Takeru's eyes came into focus as he listened to his brother's question, "…yeah, but it feels like I'm forgetting something." Takeru still had one more trick of his sleeve, but with his friends' sudden arrival he felt like something was off. More so, he felt that something substantial had been gained, but he didn't know what.

"Ah!" Hikari exclaimed suddenly. "If you all could digivolve, then that means Tailmon can too." The girl held up her digivice and he partner transformed from a cat, into a lovely female angel with a holy ring around her ankle. "Heal up the others and then join the fight with everyone else."

Angewomon did as she was instructed and healed the fallen warriors. The all slowly made their way to their feet and looked over to find the other digimon still having trouble. A bright flash erupted from the center of the fighting and all of the partner digimon were pushed back.

"Don't think that all of you are enough to stop me," Lucemon huffed. The golden trim that lined his clothing started to glimmer. "I was combined with Huanglongmon for quite a while. Don't think I'm the same as I was in the past." Before he could gain any momentum, he was struck in the forehead by a ball of green energy.

The kids looked up once again to find Mimi and Lilimon falling from the sky. With this everyone had gathered and risen for the final battle. Everyone… together…

Takeru's mouth slowly curved upward as he gave a vicious grin. "Everyone, listen up!"

Everyone immediately dialed in on the boy's voice. While his own digimon companions were focused and ready to take order, his fellow chosen that had just arrived, looked anxious. Could he be planing to trick them again.

"Tell us what to do?" Yamato asked without hesitation. His faith in his bother managed to calm the others.

"SlashAngemon, Sora, Garudamon, you all gather around Mimi and Lilimon and move to his back" The three quickly flew to the girls who had just attacked and flanked Lucemon.

"LadyDevimon, Koushiro, MegaKabuterimon, Jou, Zudomon, stand your ground right here, in front of Lucemon. Other than LadyDevimon moving to he group, the other four stayed in place.

"Ange… womon… The one without the holy ring, Taichi, WarGreymon, Yamato, MetalGarurumon, you guys need to get to his left." The four made their move, perplexed not only by Takeru's plan but Lucemon's lack of movement. It was as if he was just as intrigued as the rest of them were.

"Now…" Takeru continued as he looked over to fine the rest. He was surprised to find that the last set had already moved to their place on the other side of the last group. BlackWarGerymon, Hikari and Angewomon, Ken and Stingmon, were all in place.

"This is where you wanted _us_ , right?" Hikari asked, knowing she was in the right spot.

"I didn't know if I'm included in this plan so…" Ken modestly looked down.

"What about your position, boy?" BlackWarGerymon asked.

Takeru couldn't help but smile a bit more. "Obviously, Seraphimon and I will take the center, _together_."

The blue and silver angel, looked down at his partner, knowing that there was more meaning hidden behind his words than he let on. The two made their way forward until they were only a few steps away from their enemy.

"So, you're just going to let me set up my new plan without doing anything?" Takeru asked the fallen angel.

"Please, even an infant would notice kind this set up," Lucemon managed a small huff. "I planed on beating the holy beasts, _completely_. If this is the way I have to do it, then so be it. One at a time or all at once, it doesn't matter to me."

"Well I hope with that kind of _pride_ , you can take on our last attack." Takeru's eyes were shining like never before, neither in light or darkness. They were as bright and as clear as the stars in the sky. "Prepare yourself!"

 **An: So everything seems to has come to a head in this chapter.**

 **While writing this story, one of the things I wanted to keep intact was the feel of the original show. That's why I had Takeru as far removed from the actual canonical things that happened and glossed over them. The only ones I played with were the ones that weren't fully explored, like Dagomon and Daemon. Even with the Daemon fight, I felt like I was able to hold true to the display of team work that was in the show, even if Takeru was the main focus.**

 **Lucemon was kind of odd to write. In the end he's pretty simple but, his motivation is more than just being evil.**

 **Now that I still have some space, and nothing more to really address; let's talk about Takeru's cloaks and what their colors represent. Overall I think they're pretty simple but I feel like I took some colors from odd places.**

 **His normal cloak is just a plain beige to as a reference to V-Tamer.**

 **Dagomon's colors are gray with a red trim. The gray's pretty obvious but the red comes form his eyes.**

 **Xuanwumon's is green with a black trim. I've explained this before but the green comes from his aura, and the black form the turtle of the north.**

 **Baihumon's is white with a purple trim. The white comes from his fur, and the purple from his stripes and mask.**

 **IceDevimon's is purple with a white trim. The purple is from his mark of evil on his chest, and the white is the rest of his body. Half of the reason he was the one to show up was to mirror Baihumon's colors.**

 **Lucemon's are and changing black and white with a red trim. The black and white come from his fallen down mode. The red trim and Takeru's eye color come from his demon lord's crest.**

 **Daemon's are orange with a red trim. The orange comes from his own demon lord's crest while the red is based off of his flames. If I hadn't paired him up with Zhuqiaomon, his trim probably would have been violet.**

 **Zhuqiaomon's are red with a yellow trim. Both colors come form his body.**

 **Qinglongmon's are blue with a white trim. Blue obviously comes from his body and aura but I had a hard time picking the trim. I went with white to be safe and matched his mustache.**

 **Finally, Huanglongmon has a solid gold cape.**

 **I hope you enjoyed seeing how my mind snatches up colors that I think look nice together. Please leave statement on this chapter and how it made you think or feel. I still don't want to say we'll be getting to the end, but who knows? I sure don't.**


	11. Final Regrets

**Final Chapter:  
**

 **Final Regrets**

The wind blew between Takeru and Lucemon. Their blue eyes locked on to each other. In the end, the signal for starting was left to Takeru. Lucemon knew better than to make the first move. It didn't help that the boy also had a trap hidden behind his plan of surrounding him on all sides. Lucemon knew that his best bet was overtaking Takeru's pace. If he could do that, the boy would be open for the final strike, instead of constantly trying to keep him down.

Takeru watched Lucemon keep track of his every movie. Every twitch of his finger; every breath he took. Lucemon outmatched him in almost every aspect, even when the dark angel wasn't powered up by Huanglongmon. The fallen angel's golden light was the same as his three dimensional magic circle. Logically, all of his attacks should be just as devastating. Takeru smirked at the thought of a such a tough battle. If Lucemon was waiting for him to make the first move, then he'd have to make it one he wouldn't forget.

In one sudden movement, Takeru backed off several feet from both his digital partner and adversary. He made a call for Seraphimon, and the angelic digimon quickly took to the air. The boy then leaned forward, ready to dash forward for his attack.

Lucemon watched closely and waited in patience. As Takeru kicked off from his starting dash, the fallen angel's vision of the boy was replaced with the blue and silvered, Seraphimon. His blue eyes glared as the holy angel grew closer, but he still wasn't off his guard. Even if Seraphimon was coming in first instead of Takeru, the blond child wouldn't be far behind in his own attack.

Lucemon mirrored his incoming attacker and pulled back his right fist. While he still needed to watch out of Takeru, he also needed to start his attack as well. He fist flew out, right on target. As he fist inched closer to Seraphimon's face, Lucemon couldn't help but be filled with unease. The closer he looked at his point of impact, the smaller it seemed to become. It was as if his timing had been completely thrown off by no fault of his own, or his enemy.

It was in that moment that Seraphimon's mask started to morph. The golden star in the center of his mask moved further up, as the mask itself started to recede. The smirking face hidden beneath was more than enough warning for Lucemon to twist to the outside of his attack and dodge out of the way.

His reaction however, wasn't fast enough. As he moved to make way for the shrinking angel, he felt something damp run down his face. He reached up to find that his left cheek had been cut. His eyes fallowed his bloody finger tips to the sight of his smaller, armored enemy.

The mask had moved back far enough to show the person's blue eyes looking down at their armored arm that held a blade. Lucemon could only glare into those sharp blue eyes that moved onto him. The dark angel couldn't believe that Takeru had found a way to fuse Seraphimon. This combination seemed to be to a much higher degree than with the digicores inside of him, that only changed his appearance.

The others were amazed at the sight they had just witnessed. The being standing there was a bit smaller than Seraphimon, but still only a head shorter than Lucemon. To think Takeru and Seraphimon would use such a technique as a starting distraction.

Takeru's new look was simple, to say the least. He wore blue and sliver boots that went all the way up his shins. The next bit of armor was a matching waist guard. His hands, forearms and shoulders were also clad in protective metals. Unlike the rest of Seraphimon's angelic forms, Takeru's mask didn't cover his eyes. It was pushed up, with the golden star resting on his forehead. That being said, the rest of his face had been covered in a deep blue cloth that could be seen on every unarmored part of his body. The last thing of note was the cloak that had rematerialized and flared up to look like ten golden wings.

Lucemon was taken aback a bit, but this was basically the same power the child had always been using. He had always been fighting together with his partner; this was nothing he couldn't handle. Just like with the other digicores, it was as if he was wearing Seraphimon as an armor.

The boy quickly rushed in, but this time Lucemon was fully prepared. He wouldn't have to watch out for both of them like last time. The only one's to keep an eye on were the ones surrounding him, and they weren't much of a threat.

Yamato and Taichi watched as the two in the middle of the battlefield got physical with each other. Punches were blocked and swords were pushed aside. They had no idea why Takeru wanted everyone in a surrounding position. They looked towards the Angewomon that accompanied them. She started to shimmer in a white light as she watched the battle unfold. They didn't need to look twice to know that she was preparing to attack. The two boys looked back towards to battle, silently deciding that they would move after her.

Takeru looked to be on the defensive as he tried to block a barrage of kicks and punches. Little by little, his guard was beginning to break. It finally snapped when Lucemon delivered a back kick that sent him airborne.

His body flipped upward only for him to be facing the ground head first at the peak of his launch. He felt one on of his legs be grasped and feet pushing own on armpits. The sudden downward jerk of gravity cemented that Lucemon was planing on giving him a standing, aerial pile-driver.

Thinking fast, Takeru managed to cock back his free leg and kick up, while splitting from Seraphimon. Lucemon's extreme downward motion mixed with the kick was enough to force him to let go and watch the two fuse back into each other.

If things stayed like this, Lucemon would slowly whittle him down in no time. "You should hurry up and start your little plan while you still can," the fallen angel warned. He lifted his left hand and gather dark energy, "If you're going to be constantly wearing Seraphimon's form, you're at a disadvantage." The dark ball of power fired at Takeru.

The dark ball abruptly halted as it made contact. The ball shot upward and exploded in the sky. Everyone looked down at Takeru, who had deflected the attack. His armor's colors had also changed. The blues turned to gray, and the golds to red.

"Don't worry about Seraphimon. He's pretty flexible when he needs to be," Takeru red eyes glared. "It's also stupid of you to think I can't counter your moves. Just like you have some of Huanglongmon's powers, I still have some of yours, and more."

"So you'll be fighting with Dagomon now? It's a pity you no longer have a dark world to run off to." Lucemon rose both arms and fired a volley of darkness and light attacks. He watched as Takeru brushed each of them off, while constantly switching between darkness and light as well. The boy started to slowly make his way towards him. His attack started to slow down a bit in response.

Lucemon knew exactly what Takeru was planing on doing. The moment the blond used the opposite element to defend himself, he would use that chance to make his attack. The fallen angel would have to get the boy a little closer if he planed on countering his attack. Little by little, he would let the blond inch forward. Lucemon stopped his barrage for only a second to charge up an orb of darkness. This was the bait that would reel in his victory. He fired the charged attack, only for it to be stopped by the child.

The Black orb split with a bright light. Takeru's blade was shining, and ready to drop down on Lucemon. As the blond drew closer, the dark angel lifted up his arm, ready to deflect the light with his own and counter attack right after.

The blade fell… along with Lucemon's right arm. The fallen angel backed away as fast as he could with a look of horror etched in to his face. How? How had he been cut? He took a closer look at the boy's armor. It was no longer gray and red, but white and purple. The shine of his blade had distracted him. He wasn't using the powers of light at all. This was…

Before Lucemon could even finish thinking, he was sent airborne by a powerful strike to the back. As he rose through the air, he looked down to find the ring-less, Angewomon. Was the boy's transformation a signal? Before he knew what was completely going on, he was struck with a combination of hot and cold. WarGreymon's and MetalGarurumon's joint attacks sent him plummeting back to the ground.

Takeru kept a hard lock on Lucemon. His armor changed once again to reds, oranges, and yellows. A scorching blade extended from his arm. He quickly took flight, burning the sky behind him. As he slashed past Lucemon, he crossed with SlashAngemon, both taking a few wings with them. They watched as Lilimon's and Garudamon's attacks finish up the combination.

Lucemon hit the ground hard. He seethed at the fact that he had fallen into the boy's pace. He slowly picked himself up and reformed his missing wings. He was about to start on his hand, when he glanced a green and black armored child, trying to keep up his attack. He somehow managed to roll out of the way while giving the boy a good kick, but was once again held down by another attack he hadn't seen coming.

A large hammer had slammed down on the Ultimate digimon. He managed to guard soon enough to keep it from crushing him completely. He used his left hand to hold up the large hammer, but that didn't stop it's energy from shooting through his body. He was just about to toss it away before the ground beneath him started to give way. He felt himself being lifted upward again, and was suddenly struck with electricity. He cursed his narrow line of sight. How could he have been so distracted, not to have noticed both Zudomon, and MegaKabuterimon.

Takeru watched as Lucemon flew through the air, once again. While the others were held the fallen angel down, he had beend working on making a few rain clouds. LadyDevimon waited above and as soon as spiraling water dragons rained down on their target, so did she. As the water attack drew closer, LadyDevimon stabbed out from the center with her spear. The water started to frost over and she, along with the dragons, collided with Lucemon.

The blond took a deep breath and let the blue return to it's natural place on his suit. The only difference was that white took the place of the gold. he balled his hands into fist as he summoned a wall of lightning behind him. He watched as a large ball of fire flew through the electricity and collide with Lucemon. A pink cross and large, energy needles soon fallowed, each storing their own bit of lightning. After seeing those attack land, he also released his own. Electricity cracked through the air as it washed over Lucemon.

Takeru huffed in exhaustion, but he still managed to make his way over to Lucemon. Even if he was hit with that unbelievable combination, there was a chance that the fallen angel could have survived. The boy made his way to his enemy, that was now a crater in the dirt. He slid down into it to get a better look, cursing the fact that he didn't have it in him to just blast at it even more, for good measure. As he made his way to the bottom, he suddenly felt a chill run through his body. He quickly dodged to his left, but his shoulder guard was hit by a projectile attack.

The boy took in the one shooting at him. It looked like a bug larva, with twelve golden wings. In it's middle rested a red digital core. Takeru summoned seven golden orbs and sent them flying at the larva. This attack was easy to summon but currently lacked any real power.

Before the orbs could make contact, the larva reverted back to Lucemon's original form. The small child like angel summoned ten white orbs of his own, that fired off in an elongated cross formation. Both attacks collided with each other, but having the advantage of numbers, some of Lucemon's attack slip by. Two orbs launched Takeru out of the crater, and spiked him back to the ground. The final orb floated above him for only a second before expanding into a grand explosion.

The four digimon holding the power of the Harmonious Ones rushed to the crater to back their friend up, but each were tossed aside by another assault of orbs. The chosen children's digimon also tried to help but they too were held down.

"You know what my true power is, so why keep up this farce?" the young angel rose from his cavity. "My true power is neither the manipulation of light or darkness, it's the manipulation of form. After dying countless times, I've become able to take my data and quickly reconfigure it. There's a reason why I was still able to maintain my form while still being sealed for as long as I was. There was a reason why I could lead an attack on Huanglongmon before obtaining darkness. As long as I have the data to spare, and an intact digital core, I can reform as many times as a want."

Motionless on the ground, Takeru absorbed the angel's speech. He thought back to how much data Lucmeon absorbed in his dragon from. Even if it had destroyed, he knew that Lucemon must have absorbed some of that fleeting power from within his orb.

The armored boy painfully pushed off of the ground. His right gauntlet had been completely shattered. His left shoulder guard had cracks running through it, while his waist guard was entirely vaporized. A blade extended from his left and he rushed out against Lucemon.

The small angel met the boy's sword with one of his own, made from light. "You talk of stopping me, but if you really meant that you would have attacked my digital core. The cut to my cheek was halfhearted. The one to take my arm was shallow. If you really want me dead then you better start acting like it." He shattered Takeru's arm blade to pieces. He quickly digivolved to Fallen Down Mode and started delivering punches.

He watched as Takeru only managed to block every two out of three attacks. "You couldn't have been trying to absorb me again, could you? Do you think you can change my mind on those monsters? On Huanglongmon? If you are, then you aren't taking this fight seriously enough." The boy's defense had finally fallen apart. The fallen angel kicked the blond upward.

Lucemon could feel the other digimon starting to get up; now was time to stop playing around. His hands held orbs of light and darkness. They slowly started to expand until both enveloped him, and their growth did not stop there. The opposition were soon enveloped, even the other children. Lucemon shut his eyes and let what would happen, happen.

The large three dimensional magic circle exploded outward and left no one standing in it's wake. Digimon and children alike were tossed along the ground. He looked and found the boy laying next to his Patamon. All of the partnered digimon had reverted to their rookie forms. The boy laid as motionless as the rest of his friends.

The fallen angel huffed at the out come of his attack. Dead or Alive, had a chance of just wounding his foe, but throughout this whole fight he hadn't managed to get a kill. Maybe all of those, killing chances, were wasted on Takeru, the only person who could survive the attack's full force.

Lucemon started to make his way to the blond when he suddenly felt a rock brush past his hair. He turned back to find Hikari, trying to toss stones at him. The girl could barely stand and most of the time, the rocks hardly flew far enough to even touch him. He was amazed at her resilience.

"…Stop…" the girl whispered. "I won't let you hurt Takeru," she kept throwing stones. She was still mostly missing, but she couldn't afford to stop. She had to do something, anything. "I decided to protect everyone," she watched as Lucemon slowly turned away. "That I would protect Takeru," with one last spurt of strength, she tossed a rock as hard as she could and stumbled onto her hands. It went sailing over the fallen angel's head.

Tears ran down the girls face at the sight of her own uselessness. Hikari gripped at the dirt beneath her until she heard and annoyed hiss. She looked up to find Lucemon holding the back of his head. He turned back to her with an irritated look in his eyes. The girl fallowed his line of sight and found Ken also throwing stones, not too far behind from where she was.

The dark haired boy tossed more stones at the dark angel, each one landing on target. Lucemon was already quite far away, so there was no punch to the rocks, but that didn't stop Ken. "I've got plenty more."

Lucemon scowled at the boy, and his pathetic attempts at trying to stop him. He was just about to make his second turn until a rock whizzed into the side of his head. He turned his gaze and found the blond's brother and former leader also joining in. Not before long, the other children had gotten up and started to pelt him with stones as well.

He looked at all of their pained faces as they tried to protect their friend. He greatly understood their feelings of helplessness, but it was already to late. They shouldn't have bothered coming back for him. They could have stayed in there little world, hoping that his reach never got that far.

Caring for others only got in the way, and made it possible for them to turn on you. While teamwork has his merits, nothing good has ever came from friendship. Even when he first defeated Huanglongmon, it had been completely for his own sake. Even he himself cared for the blond boy, but he wouldn't let those feelings get in the way of his revenge, and ideals. The only world _for_ him was a world ruled _by_ him.

With a flap of his ten wings, all of the incoming rocks blew away with the gust of wind. Lucemon once again started to make his way towards Takeru. Light and darkness gathered at his fingertips and flew out at the boy. This time however, something even more annoying got in his way. A dark gray Dagomon and an orange Daemon stopped his attack.

"What does a weakling and a traitor think that they can accomplish?" Lucemon glowered.

"We can at least hold back a halfhearted attack like this," Dagomon gurgled.

"Aren't you acting a bit too high and mighty, Lucemon." Daemon smirked.

"You're the last person to be saying that to me," Lucemon fired another round of orbs. The incorporeal digital spirits looked strained, but they still managed to hold back the attacks.

"The difference between us is that I'm content with living like that. Face it, you aren't cut out to be the bad guy."

"That's nice," another round fired. "I'm actually amazed that you two are protecting him. I thought you would relish in his death and use it as a chance to escape. You know, if I don't completely destroy him in one attack."

"That would just lead us to be reborn into a world under your foot," Dagomon growled.

"Sorry, but I'd rather die trying to ruin your plans than live under you again," Daemon struggled with the brunt of the attack.

"Well," one final attack charged in Lucemon hands, "then I guess the two of you can die as petty as you lived." Before he could fire, he felt something sharp make contact with his sides. His attacks faded away as he looked back to find both BlackWarGerymon and SlashAngemon piercing his body. His mouth tightened at the thought of being put through another string of attacks.

He grabbed both of the digimon's arms and pulled them out of his torso. His eyes caught sight of their Ultimate friends and tossed the two into the angel and devil. They each got their own pair of light and darkness and the three dimension magic circle exploded on the pairs.

The four digimon could only grunt in pain as they tried to move even the smallest part of their body. They could only utter Takeru's name as they each shined with their respective light of the Harmonious Ones. The lights flew off and surround the blond that was called out to.

Lucemon was caught off guard by the sudden light show, but was even more amazed that the four lights didn't return into the boy. Dagomon and Daemon also turned into lights. Digital cores started to rise from the boy's body, each one absorbing it's respective light. Finally a purple orb and a golden orb popped out to join the others.

The four beasts' orbs were absorbed by the golden one, while the other three orbited around it. Lucemon stiffened for only a moment. His mind was screaming for him to attack the boy while he still had the chance, but his soul looked on. He squashed his anxiety and let the orbs have their way with the boy. In the end, this was the outcome he was hoping for the most.

The three rotating orbs started to pick up speed. Faster and faster, the three cores started to kick up dust and rock. Soon, a twister of gravel and sand surrounded the blond and his digimon. Lucemon could only stare and wait for his true enemy to appear.

* * *

Takeru was once again in the dark. He wondered if that was the true space of his soul. Trapped in nothing but darkness. How could he still be this pathetic?

"You're not pathetic, Takeru." A small voice called out.

Takeru looked over to find that Patamon was also sharing the dark space.

"Someone really pathetic couldn't have made it this far." the mammal digimon. "They also would have lost already. You aren't going to give up, are you?" That was a rhetorical question for Patamon. In his mind, Takeru only had one answer.

"He'd better not, after destroying my world." A giant sea squid shouted. Dagomon materialized within the darkness. "That being said, if I hadn't met you, I wouldn't have found out how truly lacking in power I am. The first chance I get, I'm going to free myself and rule this new world myself." Who knew that all one needed was just a little perspective to bring out their best _and_ worst.

"You chose this path yourself," an old voice croaked. Xuanwumon's giant form came into vision. "You shot down my original offer in order to do things yourself. That wasn't just complete selfishness, was it?" The giant turtle's smiles managed to lift the boy's spirit.

"Is it my turn to say something," rumbled the shadows. It was Baihumon's turn to arrive. "You haven't let me down since we first met, so there's no way you'll do so now." The tiger laughed at the thought of failure.

"…," a low growl whispered. IceDevimon formed within the space. His icy purple eyes stared deep within the boy's. The cold digimon averted his stare only once, to look at Dagomon. When he turned back, Takeru noticed that his eyes became just the slightest bit softer. Was that the only way it could express it's gratitude?

"Don't expect me to give you my thanks like everyone else," Daemon looked down, from the shadows. "I've killed Lucemon before, so you obviously can do it as well. I don't have time to waste here. Either kill me or let me go, but you better defeat that halfhearted angel first." Even Daemon could face things head on, instead of backstabbing everyone.

"How long do you plan on loitering around here for," The lower darkness called. Zhuqiaomon's mighty form erupted from the dark. "You were the one who started all of this. Don't bring shame to the Harmonious Ones now. Take responsibility for the things you've done." Even like this, the protector of the south kept his strong pride.

"This is your… our last chance," Qinglongmon shined down. "You've proven that you're strong enough to take care of everything."

The four Harmonious One started to shine and transformed into orbs. The four orbs spiraled each other while the three other digimon disappeared within the darkness once again. Takeru and Patamon were the only ones left to look at the goldend light that was once the four holy digimon. The light slowly formed into a golden dragon with eight red eyes. The quadrupedal dragon looked to Takeru and Patamon with clear eyes.

Takeru had always heard this dragon's voice, but had never had the chance to meet it like this. He was speechless. Huanglongmon truly looked to be worthy of the title, God Beast. Someone who could shape a whole world.

"You…" the dragon looked as if it didn't know what to say. "You've, come so far, but I can see that you still have troubles in your heart." It watched Takeru avert his gaze. "But that's what makes you strong. You have something… or more so, you do something that Lucemon and I never could. This darkness… It may seem endless and constricting, but you can still see. You can still make out what's around you."

Takeru's eyes rolled over his small partner. His eyes softened as he reached out to grab Patamon. He held him close as he absorbed the golden dragons words and rested his eyes. As he eyelids drooped, he started to give off a bight golden light, himself.

"My own wish was for a digital world that I could no longer destroy," the dragon echoed. "In a way, Lucemon's attack gave me what I wanted, but that world was still _flawed_ … just like this one is. However, you two managed to show me that the world is made up of more than just light and darkness, but also the ones who live on it."

As the area grew brighter, Huanglongmon couldn't help of give an amused glance. While he was a being of good and evil, he could never hope to be like the boy in front of him. The same could be said for Lucemon, who was truly a contrast of light and darkness. While Takeru still hadn't found his own path yet, it was clear that their way of thinking was only the starting line for the boy. He still has more room to grow and change.

Huanglongmon let himself be absorbed by the bright light Takeru had given off. The dark, clear space that was Takeru's heart was just a bit brighter than before.

* * *

Outside of giant stone-flow, the other children had managed to get to their feet. They managed to gather the fallen digimon who had given up the digicores of the Harmonious Ones. The twins had reverted back into Tailmon. Unsurprisingly, Gennai was doing well enough to manage to help out. Being dragged to the dark work and breaking out might have aged him again but he was still willing to help.

Lucemon was unmoving as he watched the gravelly twister. The children were just as captivated as the fallen angel. They didn't like it, but it seemed that they had to wait for Takeru to get back up and continue the fight by himself.

The giant twister of rock started to be pierce by a golden light. It cut through the sand and wind until nothing was left, except a lone figure at it's center. The person's golden-red eyes stared daggers into Lucemon's very being.

A new set of armor stood before everyone. The helmet extended forward with the shape of a dragon's skull. Two horns jetted out from the skull's back and slight curved upward. Three eye sockets lined each side, while a cross shaped star was carved in the middle of it's face. Instead of the cloth from the body suite, a metallic guard covered the mouth. Boots and gauntlets returned, but this time the fingers and toes were tipped with golden talons. The cloak spread back out but this time there were two extra leaves. The only thing that hadn't changed in shape was the waist guard, and the skin tight suite covering up everything else.

Finally, the colors changed once again. The blue became gold, while the gold became red. That left the silver to turn into a reflective, jet black. It was as if the dark metal was constantly reflecting light, giving it an almost pure white appearance in places.

Lucemon's hands twitched at the sight of the boy in front of him now. The child wasn't even giving off a different aura, but he still felt agitated. Could it be the fact that Huanglongmon finally decided to throw in his full support? He didn't know, but he unknowingly couldn't hold back the smile that crept to his face.

"Does that fancy new form even have a name?" Lucemon grinned.

Takeru extended a golden blade from his right wrist, "Dragon Emperor: God Beast Mode," he pointed to Lucemon.

The fallen angel couldn't help but snicker at such a lofty title. Well, it indeed fit a mode created from someone like Huanglongmon. It also made sense for someone like Takeru to don such an armor. His eye narrowed at the thought of the inevitable final exchange. With a shout of, "Divine Feat," a sword of light materialized into his hands. The gold that trimmed his own outfit shined brighter.

Everything grew quiet as the two faced each other, weapon on hand. The chosen around the world could only wish their friends good luck. Their family and friends watching at the campsite could only pray for everyone's safety. The ones in the digital world, watching their friend and his partner, could only look on in support.

The silence was cut down in flash. Their swords connected and kicked up dust, blasting the other children and digimon back. Each attack that missed carved into the ground and picked up more dust, only to be blown away when they would connect again. The sand danced to their will as they also twirled around each other.

The debris suddenly launched upward as it was pulled by the two as they ascended into the air. The two constantly tried to out maneuver each other with the cleared dimension of space. Neither looked to be stronger or faster than the other. It was a perfect deadlock in every aspect.

The only way one would gain the upper hand was if they could out think the other, or wait for them to make a mistake. The second option was unlikely to happen, so Lucemon had to rely on a plan he came up with while waiting on the boy.

"Grand Cross," the digimon shouted as ten orbs of light and darkness shot out towards the boy. He watched as the child used, Seven Heavens, to repel his attack. However unlike last time, there were three extra black, orbs that showed up to hold back his assault. Those orbs were based off of the other three digicores that hadn't been absorbed into Huanglongmon.

Lucemon might have been worried if his plan had only been the same as before. His sword of light transformed into a spear and he launched it at his own attack. The spear of light connected with a black orb and caused a chain reaction of creating five, three dimensional magic circles. The fallowing explosions blew the boy back down to the ground, with Lucemon in quick pursuit.

As Takeru plummeted towards the rocks below, he felt his body become lighter. The warmth of his armor disappeared as the wind whipped past his cheek.

"TAKERU!" a voice called out to him.

He looked down to find Seraphimon already on the ground, holding his hand out to him. It took only an instant for the blond to figure out what his partner was planing. It was plain and simple, but he couldn't help but smile at him. They didn't need and over complicated plan to win. They would just go with this overwhelming feeling that had overtaken them.

When Takeru fell far enough, he grabbed the angels wrist and held on tight. Seraphimon spun him around once and tossed him towards Lucemon. As the two let go, their fingers brushed past each other. In that small moment, Seraphimon was once again able to form Takeru's golden, Dragon Emperor armor.

The combination of the throw and natural speed of flight, brought both fighters face to face within moments. Both pulled back and lashed out. Lucemon's fist made contact with Takeru's temple, cracking one of the sockets in his helmet. Takeru on the other hand, made contact with the fallen angel's jaw. Both should have staggered, but Takeru's fist shined and overpowered Lucemon.

The blond wasn't going to let this chance escape him. He grabbed the digimon's arm to tug it's face into his knee. He then gained some space by pushing Lucemon away, with the back of his fist. Electricity raced across his clinched fist. His, Hallowed Knuckle, blew the dark angel into the ground.

Lucemon staggered back to his feet. The, Hallowed Knuckle, left a huge wound that his data had to restore. He couldn't believe how much more effective the boy's attacks were becoming. He was about to turn back to the fight when he felt a fist connect with his cheek, and he was once again face down in the dirt. His eyes pressed shut when he felt a sudden weight crash down on top of his head.

"For the sake of an ideal world," Takeru's foot dug Lucemon's face down deeper, "you would kill others." He grasped a hand full of the Mega's wings, "you strike out in regret, anger and sorrow!" Listened as the wings twisted themselves free and threw them aside while the digimon distanced himself. "You isolate yourself from others!" he broke through a hand raised in defense. "You tell yourself it's for their own good, knowing that it's hurting them!" his right elbow attacked the angel's middle to lower it's jaw for the left that fallowed. "And it's all for your on selfishness!"

"And yet… and yet, these awful emotions and actions can still bring out something good," Takeru clinched his fist in reflection. "I may have created a world that didn't begin in light or darkness, but it was never meant to stay that way. That's why I'll use both of these great and awful feelings, even if they aren't balanced. All of it, is for the sake of this world choosing it's own path, just like I did!"

Lucemon looked at the boy in frustration. All of his past admiration was now clouded by agitation. All by the boast of this world being able to find it's truth within the vortex of light and dark. All of those atrocities he spoke of were caused by the darkness within all of their hearts. Yet, all of them had been done for the sake of the light, hadn't they? Lucemon didn't want to accept that the three of them were so similar. That falling into to the darkness had been his own mistake. That… "That's just fallowing the will of light and darkness!" The fallen angel roared as he reformed his missing parts and infused is fists with light and darkness.

Takeru followed suit, and the two rushed out and struck each other, standing their ground. Three dimensional magic circles would form anytime the opposing elements would touch. Explosions echoed across the land as their fists would brush past each other.

The others watched as the punching match raged on. Takeru's first slowed but Lucemon was the one looking worse for wear. As the fight continued, they noticed the explosions started to die down to the sound of grunting and beaten flesh. The light from the fight started to shine brighter. It started to change. It changed from a constant back and forth between two sets of wight and black to one side obtaining red and gold. The more they watched, the more the red and golden colors would mix.

Lucemon couldn't believe what was happening. The boy had only used the darkness and light to help him reach the power of the digicores within him. Huanglongmon's core… and the residuum of his own. His own punches were having a weaker impact as the boy's power changed into something that wasn't just binary. It didn't help that the boy's golden-red eyes, were biting into his own.

It looked as if Takeru had gotten his bearings again and started to pick up the pace. His fists flew faster than they ever had before. The colors had full mixed with each other. A golden-red stream of light, connected with various parts of Lucemon's, body. The boy thrust out and had his fist caught in Lucemon's two hands. A magic circle formed around the blond's hand, ready to explode but Takeru released a ground shaking shout and forced his fist straight through, into Lucemon's face.

Everyone watched as Lucemon was sent flying back a few feet. The dark angel somehow managed to land on his feet, but looked in shock as his opponent brought his own hands together. The golden-red light given off by his hands lit up the whole area. The energy took the form of an eight eyed dragon, behind the boy.

Lucemon could only gasp. A few of it's eyes were obscured by, what looked to be the mask from his Satan Mode. He could only manage to stagger backwards as the dragon launched out at him. His wounds had finally caught up to him as he had run out of data to heal himself with. He could only curse under his breath as the dragon's jaws up-heaved the ground just to fully encase him in it's bite. He grunted as the energy held him firmly in place and connected him with the boy.

Fallowing the path of power, Seraphimon separated from Takeru and dashed out towards Lucemon. With his blade held high, he rushed past the fallen angel digimon, slashing right down the middle. The celestial angel released a sigh of relief, at the defeat of his opponent.

Bisected, Lucemon released a pained cry as his body slid apart. Both halves broke into data, that held a red digital core in it's center. The core started to digitize the same way the body had.

Everyone held their breath at the sight of the boy's and his digimon's apparent victory. It looked as if the fight was finally over. They all had smiles plastered to their faces. Yet, before they even got the chance to truly celebrate, those smiles were taken away.

They watched as the data around the orb managed to reconfigure into another shape. A small larva with twelve golden wings and red eyes, floated where Lucemon once stood. The red digital core was clearly visible through it's transparent chest. It darted straight for the blond that had just attacked it.

It happened within the span of a seconds, but Takeru's abdomen was pierced by the Larva's stinger. The small larva's eyes were hard and solemn as blood dripped form it's stinger.

Unlike the others, who stood frozen, or the ones with hands covering their mouths, Takeru couldn't help but give a big, bloody smile. He watched as Lucemon realized what had really happened. Takeru, chuckled as the larva started to quiver. While Lucemon's stinger rested through his body, his hand did the same for it. The difference was taht his grasped the digimon's digital core. As he gripped the core tighter, he could feel the feelings of resignation radiate off of the larva. There were a lot of other emotions he was feeling, but Takeru paid them no mind as he broke the digital core to bits. The resulting flash of red washed over everyone and quieted the land.

Takeru's eyes were washed over with a blinding red color, that slowly gained a golden hue. He couldn't see anything but he could make out a depressed chuckle. Takeru eyes focused and he could barely see the winged digimon the voice belonged to. Lucemon floated before him, facing the endless void of color.

"I can't believe I lost to a brat that believes in this world's light and darkness," the winged digimon spoke. "Even in the end I couldn't properly kill you. I guess we're not that different after all."

It was too bright for Takeru to distinguish what form the digital monster had taken. Only his wings stood out in the light. It was almost as if the more he tired to focus, the harder it became to see. The only other thing he could make out someone else forming into the colorful space.

A golden dragon with twelve red digicores surrounding it's back formed within the space. It's back also faced the blond. "You should have known that form the beging," Huanglongmon huffed. It's large voice didn't match it current size of being just as large as Lucemon.

It seems that in this space, things didn't need to keep their actual size. Takeru couldn't have told them apart even if he wanted to. He wanted to ask what was going on, but in the back of his mind he had a guess.

Lucemon kept quiet, as if thinking carefully about his next few words. "Of course I did, that's why we chose him in the first place. Yet in the end he didn't fallow my agenda at all. Takeru may have embraced light and darkness differently from us, but that doesn't mean this world will do the same. I sure haven't"

Huanglongmon also paused before he spoke, "that's true," he reconciled. "But at the same time, the path Takeru set for this world neither begins or ends with either, as well."

Lucemon scoffed, "Is till can't believe you went along with him as quietly as you did."

"If it makes you feel batter, he didn't go along with the plans of the Harmonious Ones. The only reason I was so passive with him was because I had already given up on this world myself. Even with the Harmonious Ones and chosen as protectors, this world was filled with beings compelled by nothing but their nature, be it good or bad. That's why it wasn't hard to put my last bit of faith in him."

"If Takeru has taught us anything, its that wishing for a perfect world is foolish. That's why the both of us were sealed away in the first place."

"He showed us a power that surpasses both light and darkness. Be it the separation of both, like my own, or the basic combination of the two that you do so well."

"And to think he used our own powers to show it off as well. It was like he was laughing in our faces at our own incompetence."

The golden dragon managed to release a chuckle, "I'm surprised you aren't more upset about losing."

Lucemon managed a laugh himself, "I feel that a part of me wanted to be defeated the whole time. The boy kept surprising me again and again. His technique, his tactics, how he always thought on his feet. The way he used light and darkness. His hope. He didn't just change this world but also brought change about in his friends and the people he met along the way. He also managed to change me… but yet, I still wanted him to prove himself. I still couldn't let go of my…"

"…Of your regrets." The golden dragon's voice dripped with experience.

"That's right. Even now, I'm still upset with you and the Harmonious Ones. I'm still upset that my darkness made me lose control. Even in defeat I still have so many unending regrets. So... I guess I'll just have to do as you did, and give them all to the boy."

"Even in our final moments, were still pretty selfish."

"It's not like we're leaving him empty handed. Besides isn't your parting gift way better than mine?"

"Takeru's a greedy child, so that alone won't be enough for him."

"Well if that's the case then he can have our gifts and regrets, along with our thanks. It may have been for a short while, but we did manage to see a world all three of us wanted."

"Then we should both say this clearly…"

… _Thank you…_

Over the length of the two digimon's conversation, Takeru's vision had become worse. He didn't know if it was because it was becoming harder to keep his eyes open, or because of the tears he had tried to keep from falling out. He hadn't expected to be hit with such an intense feeling of loss. He had always known that the chance of fighting either of them to the death was high, but he wasn't as prepared as he had thought. Slowly, the boy's eyes closed in grief.

The blond could feel the world around him darkening. He didn't care, all he wanted to do was rest. He was extremely tired. Yet voices still called out to him. Unlike before he could feel the world around him. Somethings soft, and others hard. Some voices loud, and other quiet. Sad and hopeful.

He didn't want to. He wanted to keep his eyes closed and go to sleep, but he managed to force them open. Slightly apart, he caught sight of something below his narrow vision. He slowly moved his neck to see that Patamon was crying onto his chest. He carefully sat up and placed his hand on top of his partner.

Patamon, looked up to the touch and gasped and the sight of his partner sitting up. "Takeru! You're awake." The digimon placed his small paws on the boy's chest. "I… I thought you were a goner," the small digimon cried.

Takeru blinked for a bit, "Yeah… me too." He smiled down at his small friend who chastised him about joking like that. He looked down and noticed that his partner's underside was colored, red. He reached under the mammal digimon and felt something stick to his hand. It was the blood from his wound. The hole in his abdomen was gone, but the blood was a reminder of what had really happened. The boy was knocked out of his own mind when two digimon collided into his shoulders, sending him back down onto his back. The two Tailmon twins were now crying atop of him as well.

"We were so worried," Tailmon cried.

"You really scared us," BlackTailmon sobbed.

The boy reach up and patted the two on the head, "I'm sorry I worried and scared you all."

"What about us?" A voice called out from the side.

Takeru looked over to find his brother sitting next to him. He wondered how he had missed him. "I did say, 'you all,' didn't I?" he managed a smile.

"Don't think smiling is enough to make me feel better. All of us didn't know if you had… And this time I saw it happen as well." Yamato tired to wipe away his tears but more kept falling down.

"But doesn't smiling help?" Takeru's grin widened.

Yamato locked eyes with his brother. He younger boy's grin was contagious. He couldn't keep his lips from curling upward as well.

"Way to go, you two," Taichi came into view, "I knew you and Patamon would win." The large haired boy gave them a thumbs up.

"You guys managed to pull off some impressive feats before, but this one was in a class of it's own," Koushiro complemented.

"Jeez, when did you two get so cool?" Mimi cheered. "I wanna fuse with Palmon too."

"I'm glad you both are alright," Sora huffed, "my heart almost stopped about five times."

"I think mine actually did," Jou sighed, "I'm grateful and all, but you two could stand to be less flashy."

"While I expected you two to win, you had me worried at the end," Ken managed to smile. "You guys are really something else."

Takeru's cheeks had become slightly dusted in red, thanks to everyone's congratulations The only odd thing was that he hadn't accounted for a few faces. SlashAngemon and BlackWarGreymon were nowhere to be seen. The boy was about to tilt his head back to look behind him, until he noticed that unlike the rest of his body, his head was laying on something soft. He looked up to find the ruby pink eyes of Hikari, looking down at him. It only took him moments to realize that he had been laying on her lap this entire time. He manged to sit up on his own again, and turned back to face the girl.

Her face was hard to read. Worry? Relief? Disappointment… Before he could say anything, BlackWarGreymon called out to him. He looked to the black dragon-man who waved him over from a few feet away, next to SlashAngemon and Gennai. Takeru didn't really know what to say to Hikari at the moment so he used the call to buy for time as he got his words together.

"Just so you know, I'm doing fine now," the blond walked over with Patamon atop his head.

Sensing the boy's sarcasm, the dark tower digimon played along with his jest, "don't worry, I'll be sure to mourn you when you actually die next time."

Takeru didn't know if that was a compliment or not. "Ugh, there's going to be a next time?"

"If these eggs have anything to say about it, there just might be, "SlashAngemon smiled. "But we'll be able to count on you again for that too, right?"

The boy walked over and noticed seven eggs laying on the ground, in front of the two mega level digimon. Takeru's eyes quickly widened at the sight before him. He knew exact who these eggs belonged too.

Xuanwumon, Dagomon, Baihumon, IceDevimon, Daemon, Zhuqiaomon, Qinglongmon.

All of the digimon that had rested inside of his soul and had giving their body to him, willingly or not. Even so, all of them pitched in to help him in his endeavors. He walked closer and reached out, only for the eggs to start to glow and rise up into the sky. They all flew off when they got high enough to pass the mountain. The blond had a good idea of where they were heading. It was as if, seven shooting stars were flying to Primary Village.

"It seems like even the Harmonious Ones are getting a fresh start in this new world," Gennai chuckled.

The bright burst of light also caused Takeru to notice something else. When the eggs started glowing, their light reflected off of something he was wearing. He looked down to find golden rings on his wrists and ankles. Upon further inspection, they weren't holy bindings like before, but holy rings. His mind flashed back to Lucemon's words before he disappeared. These rings were his.

Takeru then thoughtlessly raised his hand towards his neck. He traced his finger around, the trinket that had never left him the entire time of his own, personally adventure. Once again, a cloak materialized behind of him. A golden cloak, with a red trim. The front of his face brushed against it's soft collar. The rings were Lucemon's, his life Huanglongmon's, and this cloak was still from both of them.

He looked to the sky once more as the seven lights disappeared among the stars. He mouthed his gratefulness while tears passed a small smile. Without everyone helping him, he wouldn't have been able to get this far. He finally knew what he needed to say to Hikari and everyone else.

The teary eyed boy turned around and looked Hikari in hers. He walked over to the girl who's legs were covered in his own blood. He enveloped her in a hug, "thank you," he whispered to her alone. "Thank you, everyone." he said the others.

The girl returned his hug with everything she had. His sincere gratitude having gotten through to her. "Without all of you, things would have end up much worse. It wasn't just my feelings that helped me, but yours as well…" he pulled and reached up to his cloak, "and theirs. That's why, once more, thank you."

Hikari pulled close to the boy once again, and grasped him in another heartfelt embrace, this time joined by her own partner. Not wanting to be left out, Yamato and the twins jumped in on the hug as well. Wormmon pushed Ken into the mix and the other chosen and partners joined in as well. The two Mega digimon and Gennai smiled on from behind.

The world had manged to be saved once again, and in the same day, no less. They all had fought their own battles and in their own ways proved that together, they were at their strongest. Whether that strength was combined or shared, it didn't matter. Whether it was through light or darkness, it didn't matter either. As long as they could share their feelings, they couldn't be defeated. That was the world, Takeru wished for.

Even with this almost perfect happy ending, Takeru still held some regrets within his heart. The regrets given to him by Huanglongmon and Lucemon. His own regrets for not being able to save the both of them. Even so, he mentally vowed not to let those feelings go to waste. With both worlds now connected, he needed to be able to face the new challenges that the new connection would bring. However, right now, he was continent just by being surrounded by his friends. His regrets my be never ending but the contentment he was feeling by being surrounded by the others was just as important.

Takeru's smile could only shine brighter.

 **An: So things have come to an end. Before I go rambling on for who knows how long, let me thank everyone who's read this story. Whether it was from start for finish, in another language, or just this single chapter (I've done the same myself), thank you all. I hope I was able to keep you entertained in any way at all. Thank your for your time and support!**

 **Now let's talk about this final chapter. It's a little rough if you ask me. If there is one theme I want to get across in my story, it would be a sense of self. How our own actions and feelings effect ourselves, and the people and world around us. I think stories like these hold the strongest and most natural characters. Personally it's less of a theme and more of a guideline. More so than having a single over all theme, or characters representing one, they'll more so act a way that express something. It's hard put into words, but it just helps me keep a character as an actual person than just an example for an ideal.**

 **That's the thinking that attracted to Lucemon and Huanglongmon. They are contradictory in nature, so I felt that I had room to play with that and their characters. Both represent light and darkness in contrasting ways that made it easy to play with.**

 **Now onto this story as a whole. As stated earlier, this has been something I've been thinking about for a while. It started off as a simple rewrite that's only grown, so it was time to trim the fat once things had distractedly changed from the where it began.**

 **I was always bothered about how useless the Harmonious Ones were in 02 so I wanted a part focused on that. So when dealing with the four holy beasts, including Huanglongmon was a natural outcome. He was originally planed to be the final villain. However, after reading his entry and seeing how Lucemon was involved with it, that idea changed into something else. It wasn't so much that I changed ships, but while writing, the story evolved into what it was now. Even when I started writing this, Huanglongmon was still in his original role of final villain.**

 **Takeru was always supposed to be the main character and in all honesty his role and character never changed from originally intended. Just like the idea to bio-merge. At the start, I felt like this was the only chance I'd write a story where this is likely to happen so I really wanted it in there. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more unconventional I wanted it to be. I wanted more of a feeling of Patamon responding to Takeru, than the other way around. That and I wanted Takeru to reenact the final fight from GaoGaiGar. In the end, I'm glade I wrote my story in a way the enabled me to make that kind of change.**

 **I also wanted to deal with how Takeru would react towards, Ken within the show's cannon. I'm kind of biased but I think those two could have had an interesting dynamic. It would also help if Ken didn't constantly carry his unneeded baggage around all of the time. Well, I have ideas for what to do with him later.**

 **Hikari was odd. I guess my ideas on what to do with her kind of spilled into this story without much of a pay off (kind of like Ken). With Yamato not really being able to help, she's the next human that can deal with Takeru the best. I just never expected to develop her or in this case, bring up some issues she has. Hikari's odd in the fact that she has a very special kind of, lack of self confidence. It's pronounced by the things she can't control, and I think that plays well off a Takeru, that's trying to distance himself from the group. That being said, it'd be best to use something like that as a braking point than the actual cause. That's why before the wrap up, she was still a bit melancholy.**

 **Honestly this story came about from my dislike of 02 as a whole. Sure it has some interesting ideas but I find that all of them come up short. All of the future seasons do them much better in my personal opinion. This fic started out as a way to "fix" some of 02's problems but in the end turned into something that tired to remove itself entirely from the main story. I'm not sure if I should be happy it ended up that way but I glad it's not a fix fic.  
**

 **While this section and the entire story had been just the ramblings in my head, I'm glad I was able to get it all down. It amazes me how it's changed from beginning to end. It's taken me about half a year, and with this word count I can believe it. I'm also glad that I could get in more writing practice.**

 **I hope you can leave one final comment on this story as a whole or just this final chapter. Seeing that's it's complete feel free to tell others whether it was worth the whole ride or a complete disappointment. (Should have really add that from the start) Once again, I'm grateful to all of those who've read any bit of this story, Thank you!**


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